Engineers have invented energy-efficient bricks with waste materials that are normally destined for landfill.
RMIT University engineers collaborated with Australian recycling company Visy to make bricks with a minimum of 15 per cent waste glass and 20 per cent combusted solid waste (ash), as substitutes for clay.
Test results indicate that using the bricks in the construction of a single-storey building could reduce household energy bills by up to five per cent compared to regular bricks, due to improved insulation.
Replacing clay with waste materials in the brick production helped reduce the firing temperature by up to 20 per cent compared with standard brick mixtures, offering potential cost savings to manufacturers.
Team leader Associate Professor Dilan Robert said about 1.4 trillion bricks were used in construction projects globally every year.
“Business-as-usual brick production produces harmful emissions – including carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and chlorine – and puts a serious strain on our natural resources, particularly clay,” said Dilan, from RMIT’s School of Engineering.
The team’s latest research is published in the international journal Construction and Building Materials.
Potential to make homes and workplaces more energy efficient
The team’s research showed the new bricks have enhanced energy efficiency through improved thermal performance, and met stringent structural, durability and environmental sustainability standards. The technology has met the key compliance requirement of fired clay bricks set by Standards Australia (AS 3700).
