Recent trend on the valorization of waste fired clay bricks in construction materials: A review

The construction sector generates vast quantities of construction and demolition waste, with fired clay bricks representing a substantial yet under-utilized stream in current recycling practices. To achieve minimal material circularity threshold in construction, there has been growing interest in re-utilizing fired clay brick waste as secondary raw materials for sustainable construction products. This work presents a comprehensive bibliometric and critical review of research on the recycling, re-utilization, and valorization of waste fired clay bricks in construction materials over the period 2014–2024. A systematic dataset of 186 peer-reviewed articles and reviews was compiled primarily from Scopus, with supplementary inclusion of MDPI publications. The dataset was analyzed using Bibliometrix and BiblioShiny to map publication trends, thematic evolution, influential contributors, and collaborative networks. Results indicate a marked increase in research activity, driven largely by Asian countries and followed by European and MENA regions. Early research focused on simple aggregate substitution, whereas recent developments emphasize innovative recycling pathways including brick powder as supplementary cementitious material, alkali-activated geopolymers, high-performance concretes, fiber-reinforced composites, and emerging applications such as 3D printed elements. Reported performance metrics cover mechanical behavior, durability, and multifunctional properties relevant to environmental and structural performance. Despite progress, key challenges remain, including feedstock heterogeneity, the absence of standardized recycling protocols, and limited long-term performance data. This review underscores opportunities for advancing recycling methodologies, standardization, and large-scale implementation of fired clay brick waste within circular construction systems.