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

  • Five roads of the future – cutting transport costs
    June 10, 2019
    Advances in road design and construction will deliver cost savings In the past 50 years there have been huge advancements in the automobile industry but the roads we drive on remain nearly unchanged. As cars get smarter so too should the infrastructure that supports them. Our planet is covered in roads. And by 2050 our global network of highways is projected to increase by 60%. Volvo Construction Equipment takes a look at possible technologies for the roads of the future, looking at some innovations
  • A breakthrough in the horizontal reuse of PA (porous asphalt)
    May 12, 2016
    An ambitious objective has led to significant steps in the reuse of PA (porous asphalt). While the market incidentally produces PA with a maximum of 30% of recovered raw materials, BAM has introduced its own innovations, enabling more than 90% of raw materials to be reused. And this year, subsidies from the European Commission will enable the LE2AP demonstration project to be constructed: one kilometre of sustainable PA. Large-scale production is also being developed.
  • Robot road construction concept
    October 26, 2020
    An innovative robot road construction concept is being unveiled.
  • Scrap tyres for more durable concrete
    July 3, 2017
    Earthquake damage to concrete structures can be reduced by using rubber from waste tyres, according to new research at The University of Sheffield. The research team claims that using recycled tyre rubber in concrete can make it five times more resistant to earthquakes.