Use of Granite Dust as a Replacement of Natural Sand in Brick Manufacturing

— India possesses one of the world's best granite deposits and accounts for more than 20% of global granite resources. During the process of extraction, many wastes are produced like rock waste, overburden, granite dust etc. Granite dust is a byproduct of granite processing produced during the cutting and polishing of granite slabs. The disposal of these granite fragments has become a major concern. Water contamination, habitat disruption, air pollution, landscape alteration, and soil erosion and contamination are all challenges produced by these wastes. One of the best ways to minimise these wastes is to reuse them based on their physical and chemical properties. In this study, fly ash bricks were produced by replacing natural sand with granite dust in different proportions (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%). These modified bricks were compared with standard fly ash bricks and optimum replacement value was determined. Bricks of size 230 X 110 X 70 mm and weighing at 3 kg were made. The specific gravity of granite used is 2.57. The water-cement ratio is maintained at 0.4. These bricks were tested for compressive strength and water absorption. The result shows an increase in compressive strength and a decrease in water absorption on increasing the percentage of replacement of sand. It is concluded that when 80% natural sand is replaced with granite dust the compressive strength and water absorption have no significant effect when compared to standard bricks. Overall, the modified bricks are of better quality as compared to standard bricks. It is also stated that the environmental effects of granite dust, such as pollution, soil contamination, respiratory difficulties, and so on, can be avoided by using it to make bricks of higher quality and reducing the problem of natural sand scarcity