Properties of Adobe Bricks Manufactured from Vertisol Reinforced with Brewer's Spent Grains: Case Study in Sudano Sahelian Region of Cameroon

This paper presents the results of an investigation in establishing the physical and mechanical properties of brewer spent grain which have been used in the fabrication of Adobe. The earth block reinforced 2. 4. 6. 8 and 10 percent of brewer spent grain. The characteristics of raw material were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR analysis spectra show kaolinite, smectite and quartz. The clay materials are mainly composed of silica SiO<sub>2</sub> and alumina Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and these two oxides. The blocks, after 21 days of curing were tested for density, water absorption, compressive strength, tensile strength, and erosion resistance. It was found that the brewer's spent grain content slightly improved the blocks’ density. The linear shrinkage decreases with brewer-spent grain additions from 0 - 10% allowing in 53%. The thermal conductivity decreases when the brewer spent grain the content of 60% is observed for the adobe containing 10 wt% brewer spent grain. The good compressive strength of the adobes incorporating brewer spent grain, their good resistance to water erosion and their low thermal conductivity shows that, these composites can be used in the building of individual habitats in the sub-Saharan zone.