Cow manure has many beneficial uses despite its unpleasant appearance and smell. It can be used as fertilizer, to generate electricity, and as a fuel. Additionally, cow manure can be used to make bricks that are stronger, lighter, and more environmentally friendly than traditional clay bricks. The process of making cow manure bricks involves collecting dried manure, compacting it into molds, drying it, and curing it. These bricks have a compressive strength 20% higher than clay bricks and can help raise farmers' incomes.

1. Sacred Heart of Jesus Montessori School,
Borja Campus

2. A pile of cow manure is not exactly the most
beautiful thing to look at, nor does it smell very
good. But despite its unappealing aroma and
appearance, cow manure can actually be very
beneficial. It fertilizes, it’s organic, it retains
moisture, it generates electricity, it can also be
a fuel for cooking but now it can also be a very
good material for making bricks. It may also be
collected and used to produce biogas to
generate electricity and heat. Some places have
burned cow manure to repel mosquitoes. We can
tell that cow manure has a lot of uses despite of
its dirty appearance and bad smell.

3. Another fact is that cow manure can also be an
ingredient in making bricks. In farming fields,
there’s always been a problem of excessive
waste. Using cow manure for bricks avoids
environmental damage. That’s why instead of
using clay bricks, why not use bricks out of
animal wastes? The bricks are also not only 20%
lighter, but they have a compressive strength
20% stronger than clay bricks and their
production doesn’t rely upon devastating
quarry mining techniques. This process will
raise participating farmers’ incomes by 53%,
which will help to raise their quality of life and
hopefully they will hire and teach some ex-clay
miners how to farm.

4. The bricks are made using 75% cow manure and
cured in a biogas heating process that reduces
the brick factory’s CO2 emissions significantly
over traditional wood fire heat.
We’ve covered the value of worm poop, and now
it’s time for the merits of cow manure to come
to the fore. Bricks Out of Cow Manure turns
cattle waste into bricks that are greener,
stronger and 20% lighter than regular clay bricks.

5. Things You'll Need
Wheelbarrow
Commercial grade Hydrochloric Acid
Spade
Gloves
Brick molder
Gumboots
Plaster of Paris
Trowel
Brick dye

6. 1
Pick up dried manure in a wheelbarrow using a spade, or by
gloved hand. Treat cow manure using hydrochloric acid or
commonly known as muruatic acid to kill possible worms and
bacteria. Let dry.

7. •2
Fill brick form with the manure. Put on a pair of gumboots and
press the manure into the molds with your feet, until the manure is
compacted and evenly distributed into molds.

8. •3
Let it dry in a well-ventilated area for two days, or until
dehydrated enough to remove from the molds.
•4
Remove the bricks from the brick form, then stack them in a spread
out or criss cross pattern so that air can circulate between the
bricks. Leave to dry like this for a further three weeks -- four weeks
if the weather is humid or rainy. For hardness, preheating in an oven
gives the material stronger and firmer

9. Cow
Manure Molder
Pre
Heated
Finished
Product

10. The production of bricks out of cow manure based in the
material balances is expected to have an output of 144,000
kg per annum. From the market research the price per 500
kg of bricks is P1,068.00 comparing to the price of clay
bricks which is P5,340.00 and hollow blocks is P10,680.00.
Raw material = Cow manure
Initial feed = 1 truck load approximately 500 kg =
P1,068
Annual production = 288 kg per yr x P1,068.00 per kg =
P307,584/yr
Daily production = P307,584 /yr x 1yr/360 days =
P854.40/day

11. Price Comparison
Truck load
Annual Production
Cost of raw matl.
Price per truckload
Sold in market
Annual Savings
Cow Manure
P1, 068
P307,584
P30,528
P1.5M
P259,056
Clay bricks
P5,340.00
P1.5M
P100,000
P1.8
P200,000
Hollow Blocks
P10,680.00
P3M
P450,000
P3.6M
P150,000