Characterization and Evaluation of Southwest Tunisian Clays for the Development of New Clay-Based Building Materials

Many countries have highlighted the significative use of locally produced building materials, due to their accessibility and cost-effectiveness. Throughout history, bricks have always been recognized for their exceptional durability and strength as a building material. In this context, this study examined the geotechnical, mineralogical, and chemical characterization of clays in the Tozeur area (southwest of Tunisia) of The Upper Cretaceous paleogeography. The purpose of the study was to develop a clay-based insulating material for use in building materials. Firstly, the geotechnical study showed that the clay studied is characterized by a high degree of plasticity of 31 and 13%. On the other hand, granulometric analysis indicates that the clay fraction (<2 μm) varies from 28 to 65%. The chemical characteristics of traditional clay brick demonstrate SiO2 content, about 32.2%, for the percentage of Al2O3 is 2.803%. The ratio of Ca was 19.69%, while that of K2O is 1.4%. The Fe2O3 percentage was 3.368%. The ratio of SO4, MgO, and NaO2 was in very low proportion. In addition, drying behavior showed that the clay mixture had lower drying shrinkage. Thus, the properties of the clays and the brick samples obtained by mixing clays indicate a promising future for the use of this type of clay in the production of new building materials.