Abstract

This paper studies the application of spent mushrooms compost (SMC), as a new additive to producebricks with better insulation and in a more sustainable way. The aim is to determine how SMC addingvaries properties of fired clay bricks (FCBs), specially the thermal behavior, and whether it is a viablesolution for recycling SMC. Clay was mixed with different percentages of SMC (0–17 wt.%) and formed bypressing. Samples were fired at the facilities of the partner’s factory up to 950◦C. The influence of SMCon FCBs was related to its thermal conductivity (TC), compressive strength (CS), water absorption (WA),bulk density (BD), linear shrinkage (LS), apparent porosity (AP) and weight losses during firing (WL). Asa result, a blend of clay with up to 17% SMC, limited by minimal CS and WA, may be used for masonryworks with an enhancement on thermal behavior. Addition of 17% of SMC leads to a 26.17% decreasingin TC compare to those without SMC, achieving a minimum TC of 0.55 W/m K. This implies a reductionof 10% on the equivalent thermal transmittance, that means a better insulation of the buildings and thusthis is an important energy saving.