It is no longer just about “living green” but also “living in green”. With eco friendly bricks, you can make your dream home sturdy as well as eco friendly. With the environmental friendly lifestyle becoming the buzzword these days, many people have opted for greener lifestyles with new houses facilitating itself with renewable sources of energy. But very few people have actually thought of going green from the ‘foundational’ level. Check out few existing methods of making eco friendly bricks:
1. Eco friendly brick made from coal-power plant byproducts:
Like conventional clay bricks these are used for building houses to buildings and factories. They’re called eco friendly since they are built from a toxic byproduct produced from powerplants burning coal and the toxins instead of being released into the atmosphere are pumped into bricks.
The waste product is also fly ash and is loaded with toxic chemicals like mercury, lead. It is a very huge expenditure costing over millions, for the power-plants to dispose the byproduct. Until now, they were buried in specially designed waste centres and ponds.
The bricks are manufactured by mixing fly ash in water and then a procedure follows which compacts them.These bricks unlike the clay bricks aren’t heated with natural gas so the process is more green. The lack of heating also reduces the price.
2. Ecobrique: Bricks made from water-treatment plant wastes:
With the increase in water pollution, and its contamination leading to thousands of deaths each year, purified water is a modern necessity. But the residue found in these water-treatment plant basins are swelling landfills and becoming a burden to dispose. With an aim to find a solution to this and to produce eco friendly bricks with cheap raw material supply, the VBC has made bricks from the residue found in the basins along with clay. Known as ecobrique, these green bricks are relieving the environment from yet another problem of water treatment plant wastes. It is as strong as an ordinary brick and durable too.
3. Recycled fly-ash bricks:
The ‘fly ash’ emitted from the coal fired plants have also always been a concern for health and environment. To find a remedy for this, researchers have come up with a solution by developing recycled bricks made from fly ash and the coal fired power-plant waste.
These bricks are way more safer than we give them credit for!
4. Solar Powered Glowing Bricks:
Glowing Bricks! Yes, you heard that right. A dark pigment enclosed in a real bulb glows, which in turn is enclosed in a solid block made of Acrylic Resin which gives it more incandescence. It gives an unusual but pretty optical effect which is generated by the diffraction of light within the space of the block. It is charged by solar energy which enables it to glow in the dark and effectively acts as a night bulb. The glow is available in two colors – green and blue. Technically the phenomenon is called “photoluminescence”.
The Benefits
The processes involved efficiently disposes of waste products like fly ash from coal power plants and residue from water treatment plant basins. The lack of heating the bricks also reduces the price. They are better insulated so there is less energy spent at home. The materials of green bricks are lightweight and easy for worker so it cuts down construction time and costs.
The Lowdown
The disadvantages of green bricks are that as they begin to enter the market, they are still not available in some areas and have to be ordered.
The Impact
The Green Bricks are fast replacing clay bricks. They burn longer and require half the storage space. They are much cleaner than coal and give less soot output. Being environmentally friendly, they are considered carbon neutral since the CO2 emitted on combustion is negligible. It is imminent that Eco bricks will be the future of architectural foundation!
