A-94-5.3 Study of Brick Kiln Designs and Development of Technical Courses for the Brick Makers

8/3/2019 A-94-5.3 Study of Brick Kiln Designs and Development of Technical Courses for the Brick Makers

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Final Report

Project Title: Study of Brick Kiln Designs and Development of Technical Courses for

the Brick Makers Training Center in Ciudad Jurez; Improving Air Quality by

Incorporation of Alternative Fuels and Energy Efficiency Techniques into the

Brickmaking Process

SCERP Project Number: AQ94-5.3

Principal Investigator:Nancy Lowery and Ryan Wicker, University of Texas at El Paso

Octavio E. Chavez, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de MonterreyCampus, Cd. Juarez

Goal: To reduce environmental pollution by designing strategies to incorporate the use of

less polluting energy sources and energy efficiency techniques into the brickmaking

process.

Rationale: The project is concerned with lessening the environmental impact that the

brickmaking industry has on air quality, not only in the border region but throughout

Mexico. In order to help combat the air pollution problem, the Center for EnvironmentalResource Management at the University of Texas at El Paso, is developing techniques to

reduce environmental pollution by designing methods to incorporate the use of less

polluting energy sources into the brickmaking process, and to increase the energy and

process efficiency of the brick industry.

The EPA - SEDESOL Integrated Environmental Plan for the United States Mexico

Border (First Stage 1992 - 1994) IBEP clearly states that one of the primary objectives inthe El Paso/Cd. Juarez region is to reduce ambient concentrations of air pollutants to

mutually acceptable levels throughout the airshed. This priority is due to the fact that airpollution in El Paso/Cd. Juarez is a primary cause of regional environmental degradation.

Since the 1970s El Paso has failed to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter (PM10).

Due to rapid population and industrial growth, and lack of sufficient pollution control and

monitoring devices, the twin cities of El Paso/Cd. Juarez have some of the worst air

pollution in North America. Although there is no definitive study on the subject, what

data that have been collected point to the following major causes of air pollution: vehicleemissions; open burning; unpaved roads; and desert climatic conditions. A major source

of open burning in Ciudad Juarez is the approximately 300 brick kilns. This issymptomatic of all of Mexico where, although thousands of these small industries

provide an essential source of building materials for the growing population, they also

emit high levels of contaminates into the air.


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The brick kiln industry in Cd. Juarez is a small, labor intensive industry that supports

approximately 2,500 dependent family members. Throughout Mexico, regardless of the

size of the city, bricks are still produced as they have been for centuries. They are madeby hand, dried in the sun, and generally fired in small, one chamber kilns that use various

types of fuels. Firing can last for up to twenty-four hours, all the time being fed by the

fuel that is cheapest and most accessible. Often, due to economic factors, that meanswaste fuels such as scrap wood or wood by-products, or trash. This use of waste fuels

pours high amounts of contaminates into the air; a situation that occurs not only in Cd.

Juarez but in cities of all sizes throughout Mexico.

Approach: In order to lessen the environmental impact that the brickmaking industry hason air quality, not only in the border region but throughout Mexico, we are conducting a

study of brick kiln designs and brickmaking processes. This study is directed toward the

development of solar dryers that will eliminate increased amounts of moisture in bricks,thus shorten the actual firing time, reduce fuel consumption and the pollution emitted by

the firing process.

In order to reach this goal the project is focusing on:

system analysis of the manufacturing processes;

incorporation of energy efficiency techniques into the process; and use of concentrated solar energy as an alternative energy supply for the drying of

bricks.

All steps in the brickmaking process are being analyzed towards the end of making the

process design more ergonomically and energy efficient. Existing data on brick kilndesign and the brickmaking process is being analyzed; energy audits are being performed

at ten different brickmaking sites to determine the energy efficiency of the process;feedback is being solicited from ladrilleros on the current problems that exist andpractical solutions that might be implemented to alleviate those problems; and different

methods to incorporate energy efficiency and solar energy (for example - pre-drying of

bricks with low temperature solar collectors) into the process are being evaluated.

Selected designs will be tested at ECOTECH. Results of the process analysis and energyefficiency portions of the study and the preliminary investigation of the use of solar

applications for pre-drying will be transferred to the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios

Superiores de Monterrey Campus, Cd. Juarez and to ECOTECH. This information willbe used to expand the content of courses currently being taught at the Center and to

develop new courses.

This is a joint project with ITESM, Cd. Juarez. ITESM coordinates efforts in Mexico;

provides support to the Brickmakers Training Center; continues to field test coursesdeveloped during a previous grant, and make adjustments to content, scope and

presentation as necessary; and incorporates information provided regarding energy

efficiency, process analysis and solar drying into course design.


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Status: Project funding notification was received on November 23, 1994. The project

team was formed and, due to the holidays, commenced working in January 1995. To

determine the most effective methods to incorporate solar drying into the process and toincrease the efficiency of the brickmaking process, the project has been split into the

following components:

Process Analysis

1. Collect and review existing data on brick kiln design and the brickmakingprocess.

2. Collect additional material/data on the brickmaking process, through observation

and interviews.

3. Perform systems analysis to determine process efficiency (Process Chart andFlow Diagram).

4. Design methods to increase efficiency and productivity.

5. Present results at brick colonias and the Brickmakers Center in Cd. Juarez and

revise based on results.6. Provide information to ITESM for course development.

All items in this area have been completed.

Energy Efficiency



and interviews.

3. Perform baseline energy audit at the Brickmakers Center in Cd. Juarez todetermine efficiency.

4. Perform 7 -10 additional energy audits in brickmakers' colonias in Cd. Juarez.5. Analyze data from energy audits.

6. Present results at brick colonias and the Brickmakers Center in Cd. Juarez.

7. Revise methods and provide information to ITESM for course development.

All items have been completed.

Solar Designs



and interviews.3. Develop a mathematical model to determine critical parameters in the drying

process.

4. Collect data from tests performed on bricks dried in the open, in solar dryers andin electric ovens.


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5. Collect and analyze existing materials on solar drying processes.

6. Design methods to incorporate solar energy as a pre-drying component.

7. Incorporate results from Process Analysis and Energy Efficiency components.8. Test models of selected design(s) at UTEP.

9. Revise designs.

10. Test revised designs at the Brickmakers Center in Cd. Juarez.11. Analyze test results for final design modification.

All items have been completed. A large scale solar collector is currently being tested at

the Brickmakers Center under a separate project.

Results indicated that the solar dryer removes 1% to 2% more moisture than natural

drying, but removed less moisture than oven drying. The solar dryer reduced the amountof time required for bricks to be dried to a specific moisture content and increased the

amount of moisture removed for a given amount of time. It is not known whether this

amount of moisture will be significant in the actual firing process. Will it shorten the

firing time and the amount of fuel used?

Also, it is not known whether these results can be duplicated in "real world" conditions

given the nature of the brickmaking process.

Funding has been received through SCERP to continue and expand the project. Thefollowup project scope is:

conduct laboratory tests to determine the amount of moisture that can be

eliminated from bricks using controlled low temperatures;

construct a large scale solar collector at the Brickmakers Training Center for on-

site monitoring and data collection under controlled conditions; field test large solar dryers in brickmakers' colonias; and

determine most appropriate type of solar dryer for use in brickmakers colonias.

Practical Use: The project was designed and is being used to transfer energy

efficient techniques and technologies to brickmakers throughout Mexico,

particularly in the border area. Results of projects have been transferred to ITESM

who have worked in conjunction with FEMAP to develop base courses andprovide training to brickmakers from throughout Mexico. New material is

integrated into these courses as needed and new courses developed when required.

Currently there are four courses: Brick's Production Process; Fuel, Combustionand Pollution (Combustibles, Combustion y Contaminacio; Heat Transfer; and

Industrial Safety. Brickmakers from Cd. Juarez, Saltillo, Chihuahua, and

Zacatecas have received training.

Other Personnel: The project is part of a larger multi-disciplinary effort, centered in ElPaso/Cd. Juarez, to work with brickmakers throughout Mexico on various aspects of the

process from burner and kiln design to solar drying devices. As such there are numerous

entities involved in this process. The main ones are the FEMAP, University of Texas atEl Paso, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Cd. Juarez Campus


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and Monterrey Campus, City of Juarez, El Paso Natural Gas Company, and Los Alamos

National Laboratories.

Numerous faculty staff and students from the University of Texas at El Paso havecontributed to the success of this project. They are: Dr. Andrew Swift, Project

Coordinators Steve Cook and Mike Cormier; graduate students Jose Bernal and MaryCarmen Melendez; undergraduate students Adriana Ybarra, Ulises Estrada, Servando

Rojas, Ruben Estrada and Omar Gallegos.

Documents

A-94-5.3 Study of Brick Kiln Designs and Development of Technical Courses for the Brick Makers