Innovative new solution is cured rather than fired and absorbs carbon permanently during the production process
Belgian brick manufacturer Vandersanden has launched Pirrouet in the UK, the very first CO2-negative facing brick.
One tonne of Pirrouet facing bricks absorbs up to 60kg of CO2 permanently during the production process. This breakthrough is due to a unique industrial application of carbonation technology.
Only 20 per cent of the Pirrouet brick consists of primary raw materials - the rest comes from residual flows from the steel industry.
This first in the construction industry ensures that attractive facades can contribute to a smaller environmental footprint.
Pirrouet is unique because it is not fired but cured using CO2 from other industries. During the carbonation process, the CO2 reacts with calcium-containing materials, creating carbonates.
This permanent bond creates a hard, limestone-like brick and is the first time a brick has been produced in this way.
The Pirrouet brick is largely a circular product. It consists of 80 per cent mineral residues (carbinox and stinox) from the steel industry. These residual flows don’t end up in landfill, but are sustainably recycled.
The new brick is not only sustainable, but it also delivers on aesthetics. Vandersanden achieved this attractive result by giving the Pirrouet brick a unique surface texture. It is available in 11 varied colours, giving every facade a unique and aesthetic look.
'Years of hard work have gone into developing a CO2-negative and circular facing brick,' says Vandersanden UK sales director Darren White. 'This innovation brings us another big step closer to our promise of a CO2-neutral future, as set out in our sustainability programme, Together to Zero. We are immensely proud of this achievement, which is a milestone for our sector.'
The new Pirrouet factory in Lanklaar, Belgium is now open and the first Pirrouet bricks have been delivered to the very first project to specify them, the pioneering Groen Nobelhorst project in Almere in the Netherlands, where 60 sustainable homes are being built.
To find out more, register here for Vandersanden’s new RIBA Certified CPD, Carbon Negative Brick Solutions, which explains the production and technical characteristics of carbon negative bricks as well as their circularity, lifecycle data, aesthetics, design options and more.
For more on Pirrouet, visit vandersanden.com/pirrouet