Lightweight masonry blocks and bricks from waste solids

Lightweight Masonry blocks were produced from industrial residues of polystyrene, and bricks from aluminum profile chips and a kind of silica farina, which is a fine leftover of the production of aggregate for concrete (FAC). The concretes' designs were mainly related to comply with the ASTM requirements about compressive strength, density and water absorption. Normal curing was used for a polystyrene added concrete (PAC) and high pressure steam curing for a cellular concrete (ACC) prepared by incorporation of wasted aluminum chips and FAC. The best result gotten was 5.0 MPa (709 psi) reported by the PAC when the apparent density was 1450 kg/m3. The ACC specimens showed a maximum strength of 2.6 MPa (372 psi). The water absorption ranged from 1.9 to 30.6%. The results of this study indicate that tried industrial waste remainings could be suitable to produce lightweight masonry blocks for non - load bearing applications with weather - protective coatings.