Improving Compressed Laterite Bricks Using Powdered Eggshells

Eggshells are notable agricultural wastes indiscriminately disposed on the environment. Coupled with their foul smell they tend to create an unpleasant environment wherever they could be found. As a way of improving this situation, an alternative use for these products have found identified by using it to improve the engineering properties of compressed laterite bricks for masonry purposes. This paper reports the results of a study evaluating the use of powdered eggshells on the compressive strength and durability characteristics of compressed laterite bricks. Laterite bricks were produced with varying quantities of eggshells which comprised of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% by weight of laterite. Compressed laterite bricks showed improvements in all the tests conducted after the inclusion of the powdered eggshells. Powdered eggshells were deemed appropriate for improving the general characteristics for compressed bricks although the optimum quantity was attained at 30%.