Inovação no processo de produção de tijolos ecológicos

Abstract

New products and new processes gain the market at the same time that measures to preserve the environment are intensifying. It is increasingly common for laws to restrict the use of a product due to its low sustainability, whether due to the use of finite resources, whether due to damage to human or animal health or any form of damage to nature. A process that consumes more than necessary can also be draining resources in a disorderly way. In the case of civil construction products, at the base of the category is the brick, with its unique physical properties and that has evolved since the beginning of the sector. The evolution of the artisanal method to industrial scale processes is recent, especially with regard to the preparation of raw materials, curing and packaging. Reduce or even avoid water consumption in a process, as well as increasing productivity with less effort in activities, these are sought after in every industrial branch. In this context, this work aimed to evaluate the results of the implementation of an innovation in the production process of ecological bricks, in order to build a new framework for the production process. For this, initially, the conventional production process of this type of bricks was described and characterized, according to current technical standards. In another stage, the research sought to discuss particularities of a new form of production, supported by the literature and evaluated in the form of a single case study, based on the experience of a company located in the Southwest of Paraná-BR. Research procedures included the production of samples of ecological bricks, measured based on quality indicators for compressive strength and water absorption. In addition to the quality of the parts, time and use of resources in the manufacturing process were addressed. In these terms, it is an applied research, with a qualitative-quantitative approach, with documentary origin data and primary data collection, in the context of a case study. Among the main results, there is the favoring in the mixing process with machines that allow the uniform homogenization of cement in moist soils, which results in the reduction of water consumption in the manufacturing process, since it was not necessary to wet the bricks by seven days, as in the conventional method. Another benefit refers to the practicality of a new form of packaging, which eliminates the need to rehandle the bricks for transport, what happened only after 14 days of cure, in the conventional method. Among other aspects, the process resulted in products with quality compatible with the requirements of the current technical standards, in addition to the research illustrating a matrix model for expedited measurement of samples. After analyzing and discussing the perceived improvements, the framework of the new process was structured, presenting it as an innovation for the industry in this segment, called the Alroma Method. Based on the Theory of Perceived Attributes (TAP), innovation in the process was found in relation to that suggested by Brazilian technical standards, which currently regulate the process of preparing the raw material in the reverse order of the innovative process, which consists of drying the soil, crush, sieve and only then mix with the cement. For every thousand bricks produced, in the method with direct packaging, it is possible to reduce water consumption in the production process by up to 110 liters; and in the curing stage, up to 252 liters, totaling savings of up to 362 liters of water. Among other advantages are the shorter process time, with machines that allow the homogenization of cement in moist soil and pressing under ideal humidity conditions; in addition to providing less physical effort, the machines ignore the prior drying and crushing of the soil, sieving only in the last stage of preparation of the mixture; therefore, pressing with more moisture eliminates irrigation of the bricks and reduces the curing time to use the product by packing the bricks immediately after pressing. The sustainability guidelines evoke creativity to make better use of our resources, therefore, engaged with this need, the scientific rigor of the research ensured impartiality and brought to the public knowledge improvements and advances for the sector.