Innovative Adobe Made of Recycled Rubble: Environmental Material for Rural Buildings

Rubble of destroyed buildings in Turkey is a growing environmental problem, in Ankara only, there are 12 landfills to collect and store them. Adobe is a world common building material; many studies inferred its environmental qualities. This study examines the production of adobe using recycled rubble sand and aggregate, in order to use the adobe ecological qualities and decrease the rubble wastes impact. Moreover, experimenting different mixtures and compositions of adobe helps to define the most suitable mixture for different uses, especially in rural areas in Turkey. The empirical approach used in the study compares different sets of specimens prepared in lab conditions; each set is made of five cube samples. The specimens are examined to define their qualities related to strength of materials. The initial results shows the possibility to use recycled bulk in making adobe for construction materials and elements, even the resistance under compression decreased 5% using recycled sand, comparing to adobe produced using new materials, it still achieve the objective structurally and environmentally. Future work will study the use of this material in structural elements, and examining their mechanical and structural properties.