ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF CLAY BRICK MANUFACTURING

Fired Bricks are normally burnt by using coal, wood, old tyres, agricultural and other waste. They also use clay as the raw material which is procured from top soil; of farm lands. This process is very power intensive and is a major reason of obnoxious green house gasses released in the atmosphere which not only harms the workers but also those living in the surroundings including plants and animals. Fertile farm land re also destroyed by this process.

It is also our responsibility to look for and adapt new methods of construction technology which can provide sustainable housing and be environmentally friendly.

MoEF&CC

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (MoEF&CC) is discouraging brick kilns. This has forced us to look for alternative solutions for building blocks.

CPCB

The Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi (CPCB) has already recognized the brick production industry a highly resource and energy intensive as well as polluting industry which is mostly due to obsolete traditional production technologies employed in India.
While the cluster of brick kilns are source of local air pollution affecting local population agriculture and vegetation. At global level they also contribute to climate change.
The traditional brick manufacturing needs considerable land area and top soil. The land area near the kiln is subjected to high temperature making it unfit for uses in agricultural activities after being abandoned. The brick manufacturing uses thousand of tones of coal and biomass fuel (The energy use is 30-35% of production cost).
The possible pollutants from brick kilns are:

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Carbon monoxide (CO)

Sulpher dioxide (SO2)

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM)