Scientists create organic brick with low thermal conductivity

The scientists, whose research is published in the journal Fuel Processing Technology, collected cellulous waste from a paper factory along with sludge from the purification of its wastewater.

They then mixed this material with clay used in construction and passed the mixture through a pressure and extrusion machine to obtain bricks.

‘Adding waste means that the end product has low thermal conductivity and is therefore a good insulator, in addition to the resulting benefit of using these bricks instead of their traditional counterparts made of traditional raw materials,’ said Carmen Martínez, a researcher at the university.

According to a statement, another of the advantages of adding waste to the brick prototypes is that they provide energy thanks to their organic material content. This could help to reduce fuel consumption and kiln time required for brick production.

The prototype’s dimensions are currently 3 x 1 x 6cm but the team has already tested larger bricks and the results are said to be similar.