Skip to main content

Sustainable bricks from KENOTEQ

UK firm KENOTEQ is offering a sustainable construction product in the shape of an unfired brick that is made from waste materials. Construction and demolition waste make up around 90% of the materials used in the firm’s novel K-Briq.
August 19, 2021 Read time: 1 min
A novel brick is now offered that is made from waste materials

The company is a clean-tech spin-out from Heriot-Watt University and is looking to commercialise production of its brick. The aim is to supply more than two million bricks/year.

The K-Briq is made from over 90% recycled demolition and construction waste materials. It has just 10% of the CO2 emissions of a traditional fired brick for its production and requires less than 10% of the energy in its manufacture.

The firm says that the production of this type of brick reduces the need to send waste materials from construction and demolition to landfill. In addition, production also slashes energy use, both in manufacturing and also in use as it has double the insulation properties of existing bricks and blocks. By using recycled pigments, it can be made in a range of colours providing flexibility to architects and design planners.

The K-Briq was conceived by Professor Gabriela Medero from Heriot-Watt University following more than a decade of research and development into creating innovative, low-carbon products from recycled construction waste. Professor Medero is co-founder and technical director of KENOTEQ, which launched in January 2020.

Related Content

  • Innovative, efficient aggregate washing system
    February 22, 2012
    Cleaning the crushed and screened products can boost quality and revenue. Aggregate Processing Solutions has developed a novel washing system aimed at the quarrying sector. The APS-100AT has been developed after almost five years of research and development and is said to be an innovative multi-component material washing system, featuring a highly efficient, heavy duty linear multi-deck screen.
  • Increased asphalt demand - meeting the challenge
    February 8, 2012
    With demand for asphalt predicted to increase, manufacturers are ready to meet the challenge as Patrick Smith reports
  • Innovative paving techniques being utilised
    February 15, 2021
    Innovative warm mix materials are now being offered by key contractors to deliver longer surface life combined with more sustainable operations
  • Better road surfaces to last longer
    August 23, 2013
    Preservation can make roads perform better and last longer - and save money in the long run. Kristina Smith reports BAM Wegen has laid the first ever half-warm porous asphalt section on a major highway in the Netherlands. The asphalt for the 500m-long test section on the A18 near Varsseveld was produced at 105°C rather than 160°C, representing a saving on energy and CO2 emissions of around 30%.