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Sustainable bricks: better thermal insulation and cheaper than conventional bricks. Transform your building with energy and cost savings
Bricks are a fundamental material in construction and the built environment, with an annual production of 1,3 trillion units. A new formula Smart energy technology developed by RMIT could generate big carbon savings if implemented on a large scale, while helping to reuse waste that would otherwise end up in landfill, including pieces of glass too small to be recycled into new jars and bottles.
Furthermore, with their improved insulation capabilities, these bricks could provide significant savings on energy bills as the cost of living continues to rise.
Savings on energy bills
Climate change is driving increasingly extreme weather, with hotter summers and colder winters, and energy-intensive systems are increasingly needed to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. Now, engineers at RMIT in Australia have developed a new solution: smart energy bricks. In collaboration with the country's largest recycling company, Visy, the researchers replaced the clay content in their bricks with waste materials: at least 15% discarded glass that cannot be recycled and 20% combustible solid waste (ash). .
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Innovation in Construction
Modifying the brick recipe meant it could be fired at temperatures 20% lower than usual, which could lead to significant cost and energy savings for manufacturers. And because the insulation capacity of the bricks was improved with the new elements, tests found that the new bricks could reduce energy bills by 5% in a single-story building. The team is currently working to scale up production and commercialize their solution, with hopes of exploring other ways to incorporate waste into other construction materials.
Improved energy efficiency
The team's research has shown that the new bricks are more energy efficient through improved thermal performance and meet rigorous structural, durability and environmental sustainability standards. The technology met the key compliance requirement for fired clay bricks set out by Standards Australia (AS 3700).
Bricks play a crucial role in preventing energy loss from buildings.
We can also produce lightweight bricks in a range of colors from white to dark red by changing our formulations.
Dylan Robert
Circular economy solution
In Victoria, Visy recycles glass packaging into new bottles and jars. However, pieces of glass smaller than 3 millimeters, known as fines, cannot be recycled into bottles.
We are focused on scaling the production process to facilitate the commercialization of our innovative bricks in collaboration with brick manufacturers in Melbourne.
Dylan Robert
Paul Andrich, Innovation Project Manager at Visy, said the company was delighted to find a solution for material that cannot be recycled in food and drink packaging.
Diverting this waste into more insulated bricks rather than landfill is another way to boost the circular economy.
Paul Andrich
The research team wants to collaborate with industries to explore applications of waste materials in other construction products. Innovation in energy-smart brick manufacturing not only addresses the waste challenge but also contributes to energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. With the potential to be implemented on a large scale, this solution could revolutionize the construction industry and set a new standard for waste reuse and carbon emissions reduction.
Source: www.rmit.edu.au
Good idea, I hope it's cheaper than the traditional ones.