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The development of energy-efficient and sustainable building materials is imperative to reduce energy consumption in the construction sector. This study addresses both the applied problem of increased solar heat gain and decreased indoor thermal comfort, as well as the scientific problem of reducing the thermal conductivity of clay bricks. It investigates the incorporation of recycled spent mushroom materials, consisting of Pleurotus florida mycelia and rice husk waste, as a novel additive in the production of fired clay bricks (FCBs) to enhance thermal insulation properties. The developed bricks were utilized in an optimized wall design for a residential building in New Cairo, Egypt. The wall design is created using energy modeling software, including Honeybee, Ladybug, Climate Studio, and Galapagos. The results demonstrate that an optimal waste content of 15% and a firing temperature of 900 °C yield the best thermal performance. Compared to traditional FCB walls, the new design incorporating the florida waste additive significantly improves thermal comfort, as indicated by a lower predicted mean vote and predicted percentage of dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the developed walls contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 6% and a decrease in total energy consumption of 38.8%. The incorporation of recycled florida waste offers a sustainable approach to enhancing standard brick fabrication processes. This work highlights the promise of agricultural waste valuation for the development of eco-friendly and energy-efficient building materials. Future research should explore the mechanical strength, acoustics, cost–benefit analysis, and field implementation of the developed walls, thereby addressing both the scientific and applied aspects of the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization has negative effects on ecology, economics, and public health, primarily due to unchecked population growth. Sustainable building materials and methods are needed to mitigate these issues and reduce energy use, waste production, and environmental damage. This study highlights the potential of agricultural waste as a sustainable source of construction materials and provides valuable insights into the performance and benefits of using fired clay bricks made from pomegranate peel waste. In this study, fired clay bricks were produced using pomegranate peel waste as a sustainable building material. To optimize the firing temperature and percentage of pomegranate peel waste, a series of experiments was conducted to determine fundamental properties such as mechanical, physical, and thermal properties. Subsequently, the obtained thermal properties were utilized as input data in Design Builder software version (V.5.0.0.105) to assess the thermal and energy performance of the produced bricks. The results showed that the optimum firing temperature for the bricks was 900 °C with 10% pomegranate peel waste. The fabricated bricks reduced energy consumption by 6.97%, 8.54%, and 13.89% at firing temperatures of 700 °C, 800 °C, and 900 °C, respectively, due to their decreased thermal conductivity. CO2 emissions also decreased by 4.85%, 6.07%, and 12% at the same firing temperatures. The payback time for the bricks was found to be 0.65 years at a firing temperature of 900 °C. These findings demonstrate the potential of fired clay bricks made from pomegranate peel waste as a promising construction material that limits heat gain, preserves energy, reduces CO2 emissions, and provides a fast return on investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the potential for making lightweight bricks via the use of dry, pulverized spent mushroom materials (SMM) as a thermal insulator. There are five distinct replacement proportions of SMM that are used, and they range from 0% to 15% of the weight of the clay. The firing of the fabricated bricks at temperatures of 700, 800, and 900 °C led to the development of pores on the interior surface of the bricks as a consequence of the decomposition of SMM. The impact of SMM on the physicomechanical characteristics of fabricated bricks is assessed based on standard codes. Compressive strength, bulk density, and thermal conductivity decreased as the SMM content increased, reaching up to 8.7 MPa, 1420 kg/m3, and 0.29 W/mK at 900 °C and 15% substitution percentage. However, cold water absorption, boiling water absorption, linear drying shrinkage, linear firing shrinkage, and apparent porosity increased with the increase in SMM, reaching 23.6%, 25.3%, and 36.6% at 900 °C and 15% substitution percentage. In the study simulation model, there was a significant improvement in energy consumption, which reached an overall reduction of 29.23% and 21.49% in Cario and Jazan cities, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive urban construction is primarily driven by uncontrolled population growth, which has serious consequences for the environment, energy, cost, and human life in general when building materials are massively used. In terms of energy and economic efficiency, buildings that make use of sustainable construction materials and technologies perform better. This is because building in an eco-friendly way results in less waste. Agro-industrial by-products and insulating materials are two examples of sustainable materials that have been put to good use in the climate change mitigation effort and to preserve the environment. Precast components are emphasized as a viable option that is suitable for this purpose and may potentially fulfill the need for housing units. Thus, this study investigated the viability of employing agricultural waste consisting of pomegranate peel waste to produce fired clay bricks. Results demonstrated that the optimum amount of pomegranate peel waste was determined to be 15%, and the optimal firing temperature was determined to be 900 °C. The thermal conductivity of all test samples was lower than that of conventional brick. Furthermore, when compared to conventional wall brick, all the tested samples of manufactured brick reduced energy consumption by 17.55% to 33.13% and carbon dioxide emissions by 7.50% to 24.50%. In addition, the economic feasibility of employing each synthetic sample was evaluated by computing the simple payback time (SPP). It was determined that 1.88–10.74 years were required for the brick samples to provide a return on their initial investment. Due to its ability to decrease heat gain, preserve energy, minimize CO2 emissions, and shorten the payback time, burned clay bricks manufactured from pomegranate peel waste are regarded as a feasible building material. Hence, manufactured bricks are usually considered an exceptional contribution to environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]