[Greenbuilding] Fly Ash Bricks

[Jeannie]

How about fly ash autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) bricks?  

At SafeCrete, we are rolling out a new product designed to replace
traditional bricks with lightweight, super-insulating AAC bricks.  The
bricks are approximately the same size, shape and price as traditional
bricks, but are only a fraction of the weight.  They are installed in the
same manner with the same mortar, so there is no "learning curve," but the
installer will immediately feel the ergonomic benefit of installing lighter
bricks.  These bricks are not colored, so they are typically painted after
installation.

This is a great product to retrofit external installation and refurbish a
stick-built or CMU building. Bringing us back around to the "fuzzy" "green"
discussion -- refurbishing an older home is often the decision with the
least environmental impact.  But you must do your remodeling in a way that
seals thermal inefficiencies, and of course consider what materials you will
be removing from the landfill and throwing away.  The SafeCrete bricks are
nice because you can lay up the wall without disturbing the existing wall,
increasing your thermal efficiency without sending any waste to the
landfill.

Around 70% of the dry material in SafeCrete bricks and blocks is fly ash
reclaimed from local power plants.  That isn't a lot of fly ash when you
consider that the product is 80% air, but when you factor in many of the
other materials that are replaced by SafeCrete bricks and blocks, SafeCrete
is very much a green choice.


Jeannie Babb Taylor
www.SafeCrete.com
706-965-4587


-----Original Message-----
From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Lawrence Lile
Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 10:28 AM
To: greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
Subject: [Greenbuilding] Fly Ash Bricks

 
Our local "Greendrinks" group, which meets at a coffeeshop on the first
Wednesday of the month.  Yesterday I met a Proffessor Henry Liu, who is
developing a method to produce bricks from coal plant flyash.  Flyash is
the stuff that scrubbers remove from power plant smoke, and is generally
dumped, although people are starting to use it in concrete. 
 
Here is an article about Dr Liu's research:
 
http://content.asce.org/Modern%20Marvels/Liu-ModernMarvels.html
 
and here is his company:
 
http://www.freightpipelinecompany.com/
 
Dr. Liu researched for years on creating "frieght pipelines", which
transport bulk materials like coal through a pipeline under water
pressure.  This has been controversial.  Although it is vastly more
energy efficient than any method (trucks, trains, or ships) that we use
today, it uses a lot of water, and this has been an issue in some dry
western states where a coal pipeline was proposed.  Of course, if you
build two pipelines, the water can be returned, but the pipeline costs
twice as much!  New York City is considering a huge underground freight
pipeline right now. 
 
Fascinating guy. 
 
--Lawrence Lile, P.E. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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