The life cycle of Italian structural clay products

A natural material

Brick is a building material containing clay, a naturally occurring raw material whose extraction is subject to authorisation and an environmental restoration plan for the site. Quarry restoration activities aim to limit the impact on the surrounding area and return the site to a use compatible with its local context (artificial lakes, reforestation, biodiversity areas, etc.).

A high-quality material

During the clay body pre-processing stages, various substances are added to the clay to give the finished product specific qualities. 

These include:

• lightening additives such as sawdust, perlite, paper mill sludge and coal dust to improve thermal and acoustic characteristics;
• mineral additives such as inert aggregates and blast furnace slag to increase the mineral structure and adjust the material’s plasticity;
• other additives such as barium carbonate and manganese oxides to reduce the phenomenon of efflorescence, i.e. crystallisation of soluble salts.

Some of these materials (such as sawdust, paper mill sludge and slag) may qualify as by-products or end-of-waste materials, provided that the relevant legal requirements are met.

They offer a twofold advantage: reducing the consumption of clay as a natural resource and reducing the quantity of waste sent to landfill, in compliance with the Minimum Environmental Criteria for public contracts in Italy.

A recyclable material

Each year, the Italian heavy clay industry as a whole recycles 250,000 tonnes of waste originating from inside and outside the industry.

Fired waste originating from the ceramic industry can be entirely reused as chamotte in the ceramic industry itself, as aggregate for road subbases or for the production of red clay for tennis court surfaces. 

A strong, natural and durable material that is easy to recycle. For this reason, Italian clay products can help reduce the environmental impact of buildings throughout their life cycle.