Recycled brick gets commercial funding

The K-Briq - a brick that has been made of recycled construction waste – will go into production, thanks to £1 million in funding by Zero Waste Scotland to its developer, Kenoteq, a clean-tech spin-out from Heriot-Watt University. The multi award-winning K-Briq is made from over 90% recycled demolition and construction waste materials, produces one tenth of the carbon dioxide emissions of a traditional fired brick, and requires less than one tenth of the energy in its manufacture. By re-using recycled materials, Kenoteq will lead the delivery of a circular economy revolution for the construction sector.

By scaling production, Kenoteq will enable the construction industry to deliver the equivalent of 924 low carbon homes over a five-year period.

Kenoteq Managing Director, Sam Chapman, said: "The K-Briq presents an opportunity for the construction sector to reduce landfill, limit reliance on finite resources and take advantage of waste materials to create a more sustainable and ecologically viable built environment. The K-Briq slashes energy use, both in its manufacturing process and also once 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.

"With this funding, we will scale the manufacturing capacity from a pilot plan to industrial-scale production through development of a new manufacturing line in Scotland. We will then create a template for the provision of production systems to selected waste handling partners across Scotland and the UK."

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