Pioneer of Low-carbon Bricks

Led by Prof BV Venkatarama Reddy, a team at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has developed a technology that uses construction and demolition waste (CDW) and alkali-activated binders to produce energy-efficient walling materials.Traditional building envelopes are made up of masonry walls made up of burnt clay bricks, concrete blocks, hollow clay blocks, fly-ash bricks, lightweight blocks, and other materials that use energy to manufacture, emit carbon or have embodied carbon, and consume mined raw material resources, resulting in unsustainable structures. These bricks, developed by IISc, are dubbed low-carbon (low-C) because they don't require high-temperature firing and don't contain high-energy materials such as Portland cement. The technology, according to researchers, will also solve disposal problems related to construction and demolition waste mitigation. Furthermore, under the guidance of Reddy, with IISc's technical assistance, a start-up will be operational in six to nine months to manufacture low-C bricks and blocks.