1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
In the modern brick construction practices, agricultural by-products are largely used as raw materials in laterite brick production. These have many benefits to the environment and bring about economic impact because of the cost of waste disposal which is increasing due to strict environment regulations. Waste utilization has been a common step taken in most countries in the world.Soil construction methods are used in 20%of urban buildings in Nigeria while this figure exceeds 90% in rural areas. Buildings are constructed entirely, or partially of soil, depending on location, climate, available skills, cost, building use and local tradition (Agib et al, 2001).
Laterite which is derived from the Latin word “later”meaning brick, was first used by Buchanan in 1807 for describing a red iron-rich material found in southern parts of India.
The soil colour can vary from red, brown, and violet to black, depending on the concentration of iron oxides(Agib et al, 2001).Laterites are highly weathered soils which contain large, though extremely variable, proportions of iron and aluminium oxides, as well as quartz and other minerals. They are found in abundance in the tropics and subtropics, where they generally occur just below the surface of grasslands or forest clearings in regions with high rainfall (Starry, 2007).Laterite is defined by Encarta English Dictionary as red tropical soil: a reddish mixture of clayey iron and aluminium oxides and hydroxides formed by weathering of basalt under humid, tropical conditions. Fermor (1981) classified various forms of laterite soils on the basis of the relative contents of the constituents (Fe, Al, Ti, Mn) in relation to Silica.
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