# Durability Assessment of Eco-Friendly Bricks Containing
###### Abstract  
The global challenge faced due to the impact of the construction industry on climate change, along with the issues surrounding sustainable waste disposal, has necessitated various research on using waste products as eco-friendly alternatives in construction. In this study, the avoidance of waste disposal through landfills in Australia was encouraged by incorporating lime kiln dust (LKD) and tire rubber waste (TRW) into masonry mixes to manufacture green bricks. Furthermore, the investigations in this article highlight the use of mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) to determine the durability of the LKD-TRW bricks when exposed to freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles by examining the pore size distribution within the bricks. The LKD waste was blended with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) at a 70:30 blending ratio and combined with the TRW in stepped increments of 5% from 0 to 20% to produce these eco-friendly bricks. The compressive strength (CS), flexural strength (FS), frost resistance (FR), pore size distribution according to mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and the water absorption (WA) properties of the bricks were assessed. The CS and FS values at 28 days of curing were recorded as 6.17, 5.25, and 3.09 MPa and 2.52, 2, and 1.55 MPa for 0, 5, and 10% TRW contents, respectively. Durability assessments using the F-T test showed that the bricks produced with 0% TRW passed as frost-resistant bricks. Furthermore, the results from the MIP test showed a total pore volume of 0.033 mL/g at 3 \(\upmu\)m pore size for the 0% TRW content, further confirming its durability. Hence, the 0% LKD-TRW bricks can be utilized in cold regions where temperatures can be as low as \(-43\)\({}^{\circ}\)C without deteriorating. Lastly, WA values of 7.25, 11.76, and 14.96% were recorded for the bricks with 0, 5, and 10% TRW, respectively, after the 28-day curing period. From all of the results obtained from the laboratory investigations, the LKD-TRW bricks produced with up to 10% TRW were within the satisfactory engineering requirements for masonry units. impacts [10; 11; 12; 13; 14]. Furthermore, [PERSON] et al. [15] have shown serious concerns about the rate at which waste is generated globally. They reported that about 1.3 billion tons of waste was generated in 2015. It was projected that this will increase to about 2.2 billion tons/year by 2025, with the 15-year projected per capita waste generation rate rising from about 1.2 to about 1.42 kg/person/day. They further reported that specialists have alerted governments and individuals that waste generation associated with population growth will continue to rise unless individuals and organizations revise how natural resources and waste are used and reused. Furthermore, other problems--such as the high carbon dioxide (CO\({}_{2}\)) emissions associated with the firing of clay bricks [3; 16; 17], and the rate of population growth, which has necessitated the construction of more civil engineering infrastructure, thereby leading to a gradual depletion of aggregates used as construction materials--have also been identified [1; 14; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22]. Due to these alarming reports, governments at various levels, alongside organizations and institutions, have adopted the reduce, reuse, and recycle method of waste disposal. This will aid in significantly reducing the quantity of waste that would eventually be dumped on available land. Similarly, increased awareness and research into using these wastes as additives in construction have become imperative. Hence, constant research on their application and utilization in producing green engineering structures, as additives or replacements to conventional construction materials, is increasing [7; 8; 14; 23; 24; 25; 26]. To address the challenges associated with the production and use of OPC in construction, different researchers have proposed various ABMs in their respective studies. [PERSON] et al.