Life Hypobrick

about us

LIFE Hypobrick European Project

LIFE18 CCM/ES/001114
The projects main objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of manufacturing waste-based building products (bricks and blocks) using an (extremely low CO2 emission process in order to accomplish the climate and environmental guidelines of the EU for reducing the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions intensity of the industrial sector by 80% to 95% in 2050. The industries of this type of products belongs to the group of energy-intensive industries (EIIs).

The main differences of the new process (Alkaline Activation Process-AAP), with respect to the traditional ceramic one are the substitution o the firing stage (conducted at temperatures above 1,000 ºC) by a curing stage carried out at low temperature (<150 ºC), and the possibility of recycling a wide variety of industrial wastes. AAP is based in the dissolution of amorphous silicates and aluminosilicates by an alkaline solution, followed by the polymerisation of the resulting monomers to provide hardness and strength to the material.

The project will focus on the manufacturing of the new bricks in Southern and Northern European countries (Spain and Germany) in which the wastes available and the constructive requirements are quite different and cover the trends existing in a significant number of European countries.

– To produce new materials for building that accomplish with all the environmental and administrative legislation.
– To formulate waste-based mixtures for manufacturing the new bricks with the AAP that accomplish the technical and environmental requirements of the international standards and of the market.
– To define the operating variables of the process stages involved in the AAP.
– To modify the industrial facilities to allow the manufacturing of the new building material.
– To solve the potential production problems that may arise during the pilot and industrial trials in order to obtain building products free of defects and with the require properties to be commercialised.
– To obtain a cost-effective and economically viable building material with an innovative process that favour their commercialisation.
– To make an agreement with another manufacturing companies (out of the Consortium) to replicate and transfer the project results.

LIFE Hypobrick 30th anniversary

LIFE18 CCM/ES/001114

PROJECT

Project’s Implementors

Coordinating Beneficiary:
– Asociación de Investigación de las Industrias Cerámicas (ITC-AICE)
Associated Beneficiary(ies):
– Ladrillos Mora, S.L. (MORA)
– Recycling, Consulting & Services, S.L. (RCS)
– Schlagmann Poroton GmbH & Co. KG (SCHLAGMANN)
– Technische Hochschule Nuernberg Georg Simon Ohm (THN)

Our partners

LIFE18 CCM/ES/001114

LIFE PROJECT

LIFE Hypobrick, we present
an innovative project

Press and Media

Events

LIFE HYPOBRICK

Objetives & Scope

Objective:
Implementation of a new manufacturing process (AAP) with an extremely low energy consumption for the reduction of GHG emissions

Current Brick Manufacturing Process

Current System

Alkaline Activation Process (AAP)

LIFE Hypobrick

Contributes to achieve the objectives of EU policies:

 
  • Reducing waste generated
  • Maximising recycling
  • Reducing CO2 emissions
  • Reducing E consumptions
  • Reducing emission of volatile compounds

EXPECTED IMPACTS

1,000 ton bricks produced

  • Reduction of GHG emissions: 184 ton CO2 (92% reduction).
  • Reduction of acid gases emissions: 4.1 kg HF, 39.6 kg SOx, 12.7 kg HCl (100% reduction).
  • Reduction of Total Organic Compounds (TOC): 34.5 kg (100% reduction).
  • Reduction of Particulate Matter (PM): 17.6 kg (100% reduction).
  • Reduction of primary raw materials input (clay, flux, quartz): 1,000 ton.
  • Waste recycling (1,000 ton): 200 ton CRTWG, 280 ton FA, 20 ton WEEE, 40 ton scraps, 60 ton CDW.
  • Thermal energy reduction (that accounts for 90% of the energy input): 2,070 GJ (90% reduction).
Implementation in 5% of the European ceramic brick and rooftile production (3.6 million ton)
Thermal energy input reduction in 7.5 million GJ and the CO2 emissions in more than 660,000 ton CO2

POLICY IMPLICATIONS

  • Climate change Mitigation policy area
      – To move brick manufacturing industries (EII industries) towards a low carbon transition
      – Transfer and replication of the solution proposed to other building products will represent a reduction of more than 80% in GHG emissions
      – To help the whole building industry to achieve the objectives established in the 2050 low carbon economy roadmaps
  • The guidelines of the EC on circular economy as the new bricks will use secondary raw materials from other industrial sectors
  • Actions which enhance the functioning of the emissions trading system and which have an impact on energy and greenhouse gas intensive industrial production (EU policy areas according to the LIFE Programme Multiannual Work Programme 2018-2020)
    – Ceramic sector is considered as EII, since fossil fuels are used to provide the thermal energy required in the driers and kilns

CONTINUATION
(REPLICATION, TRANSFER, MARKET UPTAKE)

  • Transfer and replication of the solution proposed to other building products: Ceramic (tiles, roof-tiles, pipes, big slabs, etc.)
  • Non-ceramic (concrete and concrete derivates)  – Replicate project results in 1 company at the end of the project
Market uptake:
  • To develop a business plans for the companies (MORA and SCHLAGMANN) that will exploit the solution in the target markets
  • Research centers and consultancy company: new advisory services
  • Replicability/transferability plan for the HYPOBRICK solution to other companies in the same or different sectors and taking into account different geographic markets
  • Communication Plan: commercial visits to potential partners, fairs and congress, own workshops, sectorial meetings…

request for call back

We're always ready to discuss cooperation

I would like to discuss:


    Address

    ITC Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica

    Phone

    (+34) 964 34 24 24

    Email

    info@lifehypobrick.eu

    This project is financed by the LIFE Programme 2014-2020 of the European Union
    for the Environment and Climate Action under the project number LIFE18/CCM/ES/001114

    Any communication or publication related to the project made by the beneficiaries, jointly or individually in any and using any means, reflects only the author’s view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.