BUILDING BLOCKS TO CHANGE THE WORLD

The world’s first carbon negative building blocks are set to transform the construction industry, using technology developed at the University of Greenwich.

Carbon8 Systems, a university spin out company, has developed Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT), which uses carbon dioxide gas and industrial by-products to produce a carbon negative artificial aggregate. This aggregate, C8Agg, replaces the virgin stone normally used in construction and is produced at a £1 million carbonation facility in Suffolk.

The plant produces 36,000 tons of the aggregate a year, with each batch taking about 10 minutes to make. A second production line is currently being built at the Suffolk site.

Carbon8’s next-door neighbour is Masonry products manufacturer, Lignacite, where the C8Agg is used to produce the ‘Carbon Buster’, a high-performance building block which is the first to encapsulate more CO2 in its fabric, than is produced during by its manufacturing process.

Dr Colin Hills, a Reader at the university and Director of Technology at Carbon8 Aggregate, says: “The UK government has targets for sustainable housing and wants new builds to be carbon neutral by 2016. This will be the university’s contribution to that initiative.

“We want to apply the technology to different waste streams to make more building materials that are carbon negative, including some new and exciting products. Along with our partners from The University of Picardie Jules Verne in France, we have recently received €860,000 funding from the European Regional Development Fund through Interreg IV, to investigate the possibility of producing sustainable carbon negative building products in France. This money, and with its recognition from the EU, shows the potential of our technology to make a major contribution to the European sustainable agenda.”

Carbon8 Aggregates’ carbon negative aggregate won 2013 Best Recycled Product in this year’s National Recycling Awards. Previously Carbon8 has gained praise from UK Trade & Investment, Prince Andrew and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The world’s first carbon negative building blocks are set to transform the construction industry, using technology developed at the University of Greenwich.

Carbon8 Systems, a university spin out company, has developed Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT), which uses carbon dioxide gas and industrial by-products to produce a carbon negative artificial aggregate. This aggregate, C8Agg, replaces the virgin stone normally used in construction and is produced at a £1 million carbonation facility in Suffolk.

The plant produces 36,000 tons of the aggregate a year, with each batch taking about 10 minutes to make. A second production line is currently being built at the Suffolk site.

Carbon8’s next-door neighbour is Masonry products manufacturer, Lignacite, where the C8Agg is used to produce the ‘Carbon Buster’, a high-performance building block which is the first to encapsulate more CO2 in its fabric, than is produced during by its manufacturing process.

Dr Colin Hills, a Reader at the university and Director of Technology at Carbon8 Aggregate, says: “The UK government has targets for sustainable housing and wants new builds to be carbon neutral by 2016. This will be the university’s contribution to that initiative.

“We want to apply the technology to different waste streams to make more building materials that are carbon negative, including some new and exciting products. Along with our partners from The University of Picardie Jules Verne in France, we have recently received €860,000 funding from the European Regional Development Fund through Interreg IV, to investigate the possibility of producing sustainable carbon negative building products in France. This money, and with its recognition from the EU, shows the potential of our technology to make a major contribution to the European sustainable agenda.”

Carbon8 Aggregates’ carbon negative aggregate won 2013 Best Recycled Product in this year’s National Recycling Awards. Previously Carbon8 has gained praise from UK Trade & Investment, Prince Andrew and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.