Feasibility Study on Establishing Interlocking Brick Factory Using Ash Waste from Rubberwood Power Plant

Thailand is a leading producer of natural rubber in the world with the total planting area of over 22 million rais. Part of old rubber trees is fed to biomass power plant to produce electricity in which it results as rubberwood ash. This ash is normally ended up in landfill. However, it can actually be utilized as a substitute raw material in producing interlocking bricks. These bricks do not require firing to dry but use curing and air drying instead. Thus, they are more environmentally friendly, and yet still being able to satisfy the need for increasing housing construction in the southern region of Thailand. They also align with the sustainable development concept. This research explores feasibility in establishing a factory to produce value-added interlocking bricks using the ash from the biomass power plant that uses rubberwood as the firewood. The research investigates 5 areas of feasibility study: marketing, production, management, social and law, financial feasibility, Through the process of data collection, statistical data analysis, financial simulation, risk assessment and research conclusions. Particularly through social finance-based investment. The study assumes Thung Song, Nakhon Si Thammarat as a base model. The findings indicate that the project is viable. The incorporating bricks could be priced lower than normal 8-hole clay bricks, while maintaining an equivalent standard. The factory can be operated as a small enterprise with a flat organizational structure to enhance agility. The project has a payback period of only 2.43 years and an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 35.27%, demonstrating its profit potential and ability to recoup the investment faster than the project lifespan planning at 10 years. life cycle assessment of carbon emissions throughout manufacturing process of interlocking brick using ash waste from rubberwood power plant, carbon emissions can be reduced by 67.98% compared to conventional clay bricks (8-hole clay bricks) given the same production capacity.