earth4Earth, a UK startup based at Sheffield Technology Parks, has launched novel, carbon-absorbing bricks that tackle atmospheric CO2 emissions, storing them permanently away from the air.
This innovative solution has the power to transform buildings into carbon sinks, presenting a potential pathway for decarbonizing the notoriously emission-heavy construction industry.
As explained by the startup team, the eco-friendly bricks, currently deployed in pilot projects across Sheffield, remove carbon emissions based on the principle of direct air capture (DAC) technology.
To create the bricks, earth4Earth uses soil excavated at construction sites, which would otherwise go to landfills, combining it with a unique binder material created through an environmentally friendly process.
While conventional binder production generates high levels of CO2 emissions, the earth4Earth binder is made with a technology that drastically reduces this pollution.
This breakthrough was enabled via a cutting-edge lime production process that can be performed at room temperature, as opposed to traditional lime production that requires heating limestone at temperatures of around 1,000°C.
Professor Theodore Hanein, co-founder of earth4Earth, explained that their binder production process enables the permanent storage of CO2 in solid form, rather than emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
He went on to share that his team is excited to see how this innovation is going to help construction projects transition to net-zero, as well as the impact it will have on planetary health.
Relevant: New Study Says Building Materials Could Store More Than 16 Billion Tonnes Of CO2 Annually
Once combined with excavated soil, this sustainable binder material helps strengthen the brick content, enhancing the durability and mechanical properties of the final brick product.
To suit different construction needs and budgets, earth4Earth has developed a series of their eco-bricks that range across 10%, 20%, and 30% of e4E binder content, providing varying levels of CO2-absorbing capacity.
Inspired by Fujian Tulou, a type of earth building found in China, the carbon-absorbing bricks are currently produced in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
earth4Earth has shared plans for moving its production next year, as its team continues to work on developing other industry-shifting products that incorporate its original binder material.
Read more: Mission Zero Technologies Launches First DAC-To-Building Materials Demo Plant
