Make Your Next House A Garbage House
The trash you throw away today may just turn into your future home, if the concept behind the Bitublock takes off. Designed by engineer John Forth, of the University of Leeds in England, the blocks are produced with a mixture of waste materials, including crushed glass, pulverized fuel ash, incinerated sewage, steel slag, and other waste products that would normally wind up in landfills or, worse, wherever they happen to be discarded. Further, less energy is required to make the Bitublocks than is needed for concrete. These products are bound together by bitumen, (a byproduct of crude oil distillation used widely in road construction), before compacting it in a mould to form a solid block. Next the block is heat-cured, which oxidizes the bitumen so it hardens like concrete. This makes it possible to use a higher proportion of waste in the Bitublock than by using a cement or clay binder.
In the UK alone, Bitublock could put to good use the yearly estimated 490,000 tons of crushed glass and 550,000 tons of incinerator ash. The aim is to completely replace concrete as a structural material, Dr Forth says. Plus the amount of energy required and new material needed to create it. Not only eco-friendly, according to the research he has conducted, (in conjunction with civil engineering colleague Dong Van Dao), the block is as much as six times stronger than concrete when hardened. “Bitublocks use up to 100% waste materials and avoids sending them to landfill, which is quite unheard of in the building industry,’’ Dr Forth says.
This innovative project, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, is being carried out in partnership with Dr Salah Zoorob from the University of Nottingham. Their work could be on the market within three to five years, and there is enormous commercial interest.
This invention would revolutionize the building industry, providing a sustainable, low-energy option for construction. “Bitublocks provide an ideal opportunity for the utilization of many waste materials,’’ Dr Forth says in his research. “The combination of different wastes has an effect on the overall performance and properties of the block. The different properties highlight the flexibility of the new unit to match different practical requirements.’’
They come out black as in the picture but can be painted any colour. "Holy Crap" has a whole new meaning!
Comments