Innovating traditional building materials in Chembe, Malawi: assessing post-consumer waste glass and burnt clay bricks for performance and circularity
Across the Global South, post-consumer waste glass is an often dumped, and under-utilised resource. Even in Malawi, with widespread return schemes, many barriers exist, inhibiting reuse, and necessitating appropriate solutions. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the performance of post-consu...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2021-07-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of Sustainable Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19397038.2021.1889706 |
| _version_ | 1797678285982793728 |
|---|---|
| author | Noredine Mahdjoub Marc Kalina Alex Augustine Elizabeth Tilley |
| author_facet | Noredine Mahdjoub Marc Kalina Alex Augustine Elizabeth Tilley |
| author_sort | Noredine Mahdjoub |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Across the Global South, post-consumer waste glass is an often dumped, and under-utilised resource. Even in Malawi, with widespread return schemes, many barriers exist, inhibiting reuse, and necessitating appropriate solutions. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the performance of post-consumer waste glass as a coarse aggregate within burnt clay bricks, and to assess the feasibility for the recovery of this waste material from dumped stocks within Chembe. Using a brick design and testing methodology, which could be replicated within a rural African context, we tested a range of glass additions (both quantity and size of particle) for compressive strength and water absorption properties. Our results suggest that waste glass can function as a performance enhancer, with positive effects on compressive strength observed at up to 10% crushed waste glass content. These findings support existing literature on glass waste additions, yet show that optimal results can also be had with post-consumer waste glass and in low income, and less technology-reliant contexts. Moreover, our findings suggest that current above-ground stocks of waste glass are sufficient to support the production of hybrid building materials for decades, however further innovation is necessary in order to achieve a sustainable mode of practice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:57:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-583dcd4e38ac49ada4cff60ec7b13a55 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1939-7038 1939-7046 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:57:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Sustainable Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-583dcd4e38ac49ada4cff60ec7b13a552023-09-21T15:17:04ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Sustainable Engineering1939-70381939-70462021-07-0114487488310.1080/19397038.2021.18897061889706Innovating traditional building materials in Chembe, Malawi: assessing post-consumer waste glass and burnt clay bricks for performance and circularityNoredine Mahdjoub0Marc Kalina1Alex Augustine2Elizabeth Tilley3University of KwaZulu-Natal, Centenary Building, Howard College CampusUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal, Centenary Building, Howard College CampusUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal, Centenary Building, Howard College CampusUniversity of Malawi, the PolytechnicAcross the Global South, post-consumer waste glass is an often dumped, and under-utilised resource. Even in Malawi, with widespread return schemes, many barriers exist, inhibiting reuse, and necessitating appropriate solutions. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the performance of post-consumer waste glass as a coarse aggregate within burnt clay bricks, and to assess the feasibility for the recovery of this waste material from dumped stocks within Chembe. Using a brick design and testing methodology, which could be replicated within a rural African context, we tested a range of glass additions (both quantity and size of particle) for compressive strength and water absorption properties. Our results suggest that waste glass can function as a performance enhancer, with positive effects on compressive strength observed at up to 10% crushed waste glass content. These findings support existing literature on glass waste additions, yet show that optimal results can also be had with post-consumer waste glass and in low income, and less technology-reliant contexts. Moreover, our findings suggest that current above-ground stocks of waste glass are sufficient to support the production of hybrid building materials for decades, however further innovation is necessary in order to achieve a sustainable mode of practice.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19397038.2021.1889706landfill miningsolid wasteafricacircular economyalternative building materials |
| spellingShingle | Noredine Mahdjoub Marc Kalina Alex Augustine Elizabeth Tilley Innovating traditional building materials in Chembe, Malawi: assessing post-consumer waste glass and burnt clay bricks for performance and circularity International Journal of Sustainable Engineering landfill mining solid waste africa circular economy alternative building materials |
| title | Innovating traditional building materials in Chembe, Malawi: assessing post-consumer waste glass and burnt clay bricks for performance and circularity |
| title_full | Innovating traditional building materials in Chembe, Malawi: assessing post-consumer waste glass and burnt clay bricks for performance and circularity |
| title_fullStr | Innovating traditional building materials in Chembe, Malawi: assessing post-consumer waste glass and burnt clay bricks for performance and circularity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Innovating traditional building materials in Chembe, Malawi: assessing post-consumer waste glass and burnt clay bricks for performance and circularity |
| title_short | Innovating traditional building materials in Chembe, Malawi: assessing post-consumer waste glass and burnt clay bricks for performance and circularity |
| title_sort | innovating traditional building materials in chembe malawi assessing post consumer waste glass and burnt clay bricks for performance and circularity |
| topic | landfill mining solid waste africa circular economy alternative building materials |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19397038.2021.1889706 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT noredinemahdjoub innovatingtraditionalbuildingmaterialsinchembemalawiassessingpostconsumerwasteglassandburntclaybricksforperformanceandcircularity AT marckalina innovatingtraditionalbuildingmaterialsinchembemalawiassessingpostconsumerwasteglassandburntclaybricksforperformanceandcircularity AT alexaugustine innovatingtraditionalbuildingmaterialsinchembemalawiassessingpostconsumerwasteglassandburntclaybricksforperformanceandcircularity AT elizabethtilley innovatingtraditionalbuildingmaterialsinchembemalawiassessingpostconsumerwasteglassandburntclaybricksforperformanceandcircularity |