Bricks from waste

Scientists at the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia have turned the ash waste from coal-fired power stations into a new range of high-strength, lightweight building materials.

The first 100 per cent ’made from waste’ bricks, pavers and aggregates are now coming off a production line at a plant in China. UNSW’s commercial arm, NewSouth Innovations, is also negotiating to license the technology in Australia, India, Indonesia, the US, and the Middle Eastern construction hubs of Dubai and Kuwait.

’The environmental consequences are enormous,’ said inventor Dr Obada Kayali, a senior lecturer in civil engineering at the university.

The new lightweight fly ash aggregate, known as Flashag, replaces quarried rocks which are usually mixed with cement to make concrete.

’The amount of building going on in China - and the pollution - is unbelievable. If we can reduce the use of cement as much as possible there that is a very big gain, not only for China but for the global environment,’ Dr Kayali said.