Abstract:
In this era of globalization, natural resources are depleted so we need to use alternative
resources or reusable resources. It is estimated that every month, more than 57,000 tonnes of paper are
dumped at landfills in Malaysia. Then, sawdust is wood waste produced in the timber industry. Based
on the problem found is that increasing the use of this sand will reduce this natural resource. Excess
recyclable materials such as newspapers and sawdust are abused so we would like to use this waste
for use in the manufacture of bricks to indirectly reduce the use of natural materials. The sand bricks
produced are non-combustible bricks made from a mixture of cement, newspaper and wood powder
which replaces the sand in the manufacture of ordinary sand bricks. The purpose of this study is to
remove high-strength bricks, determine the level of water absorption and determine the density of
these bricks. The size of this brick is to follow the standard size of JKR that is 215mm x 102.5mm x
65mm. The newspaper is soaked and then crushed until it becomes pulp and then dried until dry. For
wood powder, it needs to be sifted to follow the size of 2 mm. Both of these materials are spare parts
for sand in the manufacture of these bricks. From the results of this study, it was found that the
average water absorption rate using 30% newspaper and 50% wood powder is 17%. Referring to JKR
Standard Specifications For Building Works 2005 it is stipulated that the water absorption rate for
sand bricks is 15% to 20%. Based on the results obtained with the replacement of newspapers and
wood powder can reduce the rate of water absorption and density for these bricks also indirectly
reduce making these bricks lighter. From the study, we found that the importance of reducing the use
of raw materials to maintain a good ecosystem for the long term. Some suggestions to improve our
study are to add additional sources of reference and research to previous studies to obtain correct and
accurate information. In addition, our research also requires regular planning either in research or
preparation of materials because the materials are difficult to complete and require careful control.
Keywords: Cement bricks, Wood powder, Newspapers, Producing, Materials
