Municipal incinerator residue (MIR) slag was used as a raw material to replace clay to prepare bricks. Bricks were substituted from 0 to 50 wt% MIR slag by 10 wt% increments for clay. Clay-MIR brick specimens were fired at 800-1050 oC for 2 h. The effects of MIR slag with a high replacement ratio of clay and firing temperature on the physical and mechanical properties of the fired bricks were investigated. Leaching procedure tests were also conducted to characterize the toxicity. The water absorption rate and compressive strength of brick specimens fired at 1000 oC were very good and sufficiently high to satisfy the requirements of first-class KS(Korean Industrial Standards) clay bricks. The overall decrease of the physical and mechanical properties of brick specimens fired above 1000 oC can be attributed to bulk density reduction connected to the beginning of a bloating process. An MIR slag content of 50 wt% and firing temperature of 1000 oC for 2 h could generate a brick which had a firing shrinkage of 3.6%, a bulk density of 2.23, a water absorption ratio of 6.8% and compressive strength of 60.8MPa. MIR slag is indeed suitable for the partial replacement of clay in bricks.

Keywords: Municipal incinerator residue (MIR), Clay, Fired brick, Toxicity characteristic.