A Brief Overview of Fly Ash Brick Production Hakan Cengizler Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey. Tayfun Çiçek, Mehmet Tanrıverdi Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey. ABSTRACT: Fly ash is a waste material of coal firing thermal plants and its accumulation near power plants causes severe pollution problems. Therefore, its utilization as a raw material for brick making will be a very beneficial solution in terms of economical and environmental aspects. In this paper, the brick industry of Turkey was briefly presented in general terms. The methods of FA brick production and the leaching behaviours of heavy metals were discussed. The methods of producing non-fired fly ash bricks seems to be an advantageous way to confront the challenges for environment and ecologically sustainable development. Additional economical benefits will also contribute to the Turkish economy while increasing demand for greener building products will be met locally and also globally. INTRODUCTION Fly ash (FA) arising from the combustion of coal is being accumulated as waste material in large quantities near thermal power plants. FA which has pozzolanic properties creates serious environmental pollution problems and poses serious operational constraint and environmental hazard as a recognized environmental pollutant. In Turkey, the disposal of FA is also a significant problem and 15 million tons of FA was generated by power plants in 2000 (Tütünlü and Atalay, 2001). This output is expected to reach 50 million tons by the year of 2020 (Tütünlü and Atalay, 2001). However, only about 3 % (weight per cent) FA, mainly for cement production, is being utilized for production of building materials which is a rather low utilization ratio compared with those in the countries such as Germany, Holland, Belgium, UK, USA, and China (Tütünlü and Atalay, 2001; Aruntaş, 2006; Lingbawan, 2009). Therefore, large volume utilization of FA as a main raw material to produce building elements will be a good solution to handle such a hugely polluting material raising environmental and economical concerns. For instance, its utilization in the manufacture of FA bricks (FAB) will not only create ample opportunities for its proper and useful disposal but also help in environmental pollution control to a greater extent in the surrounding areas of power plants. In this paper, the brick industry of Turkey is briefly presented in general terms and the technologies used to manufacture bricks are shortly described. Methods to manufacture FAB as an alternative to conventional fired brick are briefly overviewed. Leaching behaviors of heavy metals are also discussed (Cengizler, 2009; Tanrıverdi, 2006). TURKISH BRICK INDUSTRY Raw material: The raw material of traditional brick industry is clay which is one of the most abundant natural mineral materials on earth. Clay for the production of brick must, however, possess some specific properties and characteristics. To satisfy production requirements, clays must have plasticity, which permits them to be shaped or molded when mixed with water; and they must have sufficient wet and air- dried tensile strength to maintain their shape after forming. Also, when subjected to rising temperatures, the clay particles must fuse together. Clays occur in three principal forms such as surface clays, shales and fire clays, all of which have similar chemical compositions but different physical characteristics. Surface clays may be the upthrusts of older deposits or of more recent, sedimentary formation. As the name implies, they are found near the surface of the earth. Shales are clays that have been subjected to high pressures until they have hardened