Drywall Waste Blocks: A Novel Masonry Material Utilizing Recycled Construction & Demolition Waste

Abstract

This paper describes patent-pending mixtures and methods for producing masonry blocks using gypsum drywall waste and preliminary investigation of Drywall Waste Block (DWB) engineering properties. Recycling waste from building construction and demolition (C&D) provides many environmental and economic benefits. However, challenges remain for recycling certain low-value C&D materials, such as gypsum drywall waste, and there are few uses for drywall waste from demolition, which constitutes the majority of the drywall waste stream. Recycling drywall waste is desirable as this waste produces noxious hydrogen sulphide gas in landfill conditions, resulting in bans on landfilled drywall waste in some localities. Investigation of compressive strength, water absorption, and thermal performance of DWB specimens is described, and results are compared to specifications for concrete masonry units (CMU), and other comparable masonry blocks. Technical gaps for DWB to be recognized as a CMU alternative are also discussed.