How to Make Eco-Friendly Brick – Step by Step!

Eco-bricks or soil cement are so called because they are made from material extracted from the ground, together with water and cement in appropriate proportions (using steel mill waste and petrochemical waste), producing well-standardized and very resistant pieces after compaction and curing with water.

Advantages of ecological brick

Savings of 20 to 40% in labor compared to the conventional system;
Less damage to the environment during manufacturing;

It does not require ovens, so it does not need firewood, helping to preserve nature;

They can be manufactured and stored directly on site;

The columns are embedded in the holes, which makes a good weight distribution on the walls;
Due to the accessories, the construction time in relation to traditional masonry decreases by 30%; It
hardly uses wood for boxes;
It is not necessary to paint the painted or retorting, since it has a great finish;
Iron has a 50% saving in work;
Mortar and concrete have a 70% saving in work;
During the construction process, the work is clean and without debris;

Great acoustic and thermal insulation and protection against humidity due to both holes;
Hydraulic and electrical installation is much easier, as pipes and cables can be passed inside the holes, avoiding breakages.
Its curing is done with shade and water, different from the burning in ovens that is done with conventional bricks;

They can be up to 6 times stronger than ordinary bricks;
Avoid excessive spending on large shoes or deep piles, as they relieve weight on the foundation.

Tools needed for its manufacture.

Hoes and shovels;
Compactor or press;
Wheelbarrow;
Conventional working materials.

Attention:  the ideal soil for making this type of brick is sandy soil, free of mineral and organic residues, such as: twigs, plastic, stone, plants, etc.
It can be said that the most ideal soil for the manufacture of this element is one with approximately:
50% sand, 25% silt, 25% clay.

The ideal soil analysis is carried out through tests that evaluate the mixture, observing the percentage of clay, sand, water and stabilizer.

Step by step manufacturing of ecological bricks

1- Sift the soil to reduce the grain size.

Once you have found the right soil to craft with, use a sieve to remove any larger grains and other materials that may be in the middle.

2- Mix the soil with cement

Mix the sifted soil with the cement in a ratio of approximately 10 to 15%.

3- Add water to the mixture

After mixing the soil with the cement, add the water.
The water quantity test is done by hand… take a little of the wet mix, squeeze it with your hand and see if it sticks well. However, when you drop it on the ground, it should completely crumble.

4- Brick compaction or pressing

With the mix ready and moist, it is time to compact it. To do this, use a compactor or press placed on a flat location.
Place the mix into the compacting equipment and press it down so that it is very compact and rigid.
Always add the same amount of mix to obtain bricks of the same thickness.

5- Eco-brick test

After compacting it and removing it from the press very carefully, the quality test must be performed.
Place your thumb in the center of the block, press down a little and see:
If the impression left on the piece is very visible and the compression was very easy: more mixture must be added to the press;
If the impression left on the piece is very visible and the compression was difficult: the mixture placed in the press is too wet;
If when you press with your finger, the impression is not very visible: the pressing is correct.

6- cured or dried brick

The drying process of the pieces should be done in the shade.
Wet the parts (can be done with a poison bomb or a watering can) every 6 hours for 7 days.
Why do it?
Since little water is used in the mixture, it is important to moisten the parts and prevent water evaporation.

After this process, after 7 days of curing your eco bricks are ready to be used in construction! If you liked it and want to start this business you can make your machine with our project click and see how