Should we produce burnt bricks from hill soil?

The following is an exchange by Mr. Tong Van Nga - Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Building Materials, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Construction Association, former Deputy Minister of Construction on this issue.

Reporter:Currently, some enterprises have been wanting to invest in producing burnt bricks from hilly and riverside land using new technology with low cost and guaranteed quality, but some localities have granted licenses, some have not, and there are many conflicting opinions on this issue. So, could you please tell us the opinion of the Vietnam Association of Building Materials?

Mr. Tong Van Nga: First of all, it must be said that burnt clay bricks are a type of building material that our ancestors have used for hundreds of years and no one can deny its superior properties such as waterproofing, soundproofing, heat insulation and beauty. However, burnt clay bricks are produced from rice fields. If only burnt clay bricks are used, the area of ​​cultivated land will be reduced, affecting food security. In addition, the production of burnt clay bricks will require the use of coal, which is a non-renewable mineral and when fired, will pollute the environment.

Therefore, the Prime Minister issued Decision 567/QD-TTg dated April 28, 2010 on approving the Program for developing non-fired construction materials (NFM) until 2020. The goal is to develop the production and use of NFM to replace fired clay bricks at a rate of 20 - 25% in 2015, 30 - 40% in 2020. Thus, in parallel with the production of NFM, we continue to produce NFM to ensure sufficient supply of construction materials for the market.

Brick products are produced from hill soil using new technology.

Recently, the market has developed a new technology to produce burnt clay bricks from hill soil and riverside alluvial soil, completely without using clay (rice field soil) but still ensuring the same quality as burnt clay bricks, even some indicators are higher, while reducing energy costs, the price is much lower than Tuynel bricks from burnt clay. This is a good thing. However, localities need to balance production capacity and market demand to prioritize the development of VLXKN, a new advanced material, protecting the environment, in parallel with the production of burnt clay bricks in appropriate proportions. It should be noted that it is burnt clay bricks, not burnt clay bricks.

Reporter:Sir, as said: It is necessary to distinguish between burnt clay bricks and burnt clay bricks, so for outsiders to understand clearly, could you please be more specific?

Mr. Tong Van Nga:Burnt clay bricks are bricks produced by old technology, which must use clay, that is, rice-growing soil, to ensure a certain degree of plasticity and humidity during production to create the shape of the brick and not crack when fired. Currently, the new technology is semi-dry technology, the raw materials do not need to be flexible, smooth, can still be pressed, do not need to be dried before being fired, greatly reducing production costs, especially using hilly land and riverside land, waste land, industrial waste: ash, thermal power slag to produce bricks. This is a big step forward in brick production technology.

While we cannot develop 100% of VLXKN, we should allow enterprises to produce this type of terracotta brick. Moreover, it is necessary to understand that terracotta brick will always go hand in hand with VLXKN at a certain ratio and will never be completely replaced, but it will be used in high-end projects that need to build unplastered walls to create aesthetic richness or used for cladding, paving, and architectural decoration.

Reporter: Thank you!