Genk firm Orbix develops building blocks where cement is replaced by CO2: "Better for the climate, but not a replacement for cement bricks"
For the first time, there are building blocks on the market where cement in a building block is replaced by CO2. The Genk firm Orbix took 18 years to develop the stones. The bricks can be used for interior walls and as facing bricks and are made by the Maasmechelen-based company Masterbloc.
“Carbstone” is the name for the building blocks that are made 100 percent circular with CO2 instead of cement. The Genk company Orbix noticed by accident while recycling steel slag, a stony material that is a byproduct of steel production, that they also cure with CO2. They thought further about how to turn that into a product. 18 years ago they started the research together with VITO, which provided a scientific program that allowed the stones to be made in a laboratory.
“But in order to make them on a large scale, we needed help from a larger company, and that’s when Gubbels came into the picture.”, says Serge Celis of Orbix. “It took us 10 months to come to a result, but now the Carbstone is ready for the market.” Bjorn Gubbels is very happy that they at Masterbloc were allowed to collaborate on the project. “The construction industry consumes too much CO2, it’s nice to see how we can use it to make bricks and thus support a CO2-neutral process.”
Climate-friendly, but not a substitute
“It is a stone that absorbs CO2 and does not emit CO2, so really climate friendly,” Celis said. “But, we must not forget the cement bricks, because they have advantages that the Carbstone sometimes cannot match. We have to see construction site by construction site what the best option is.” Some construction sites are already working with the Carbstone for interior walls, for example. “It’s already in high demand,” Gubbels also said. “A lot of new projects want to work with the Carbstone.”
Currently, the focus is on Limburg, where Orbix plans to set up 5 new production units. “We want to focus on interior walls, pipes and facing bricks, but in the next few years we also want to go abroad with our building brick. First we need to have everything under control here, but since we have patented the whole process, we are going to see what we can do abroad,” Celis concludes promisingly.
Source: VRT, Dec. 15, 2022
