Meet the two researchers who have developed bricks that are made from sugarcane waste and absorb CO2
Developed by two researchers, the innovative bio-bricks are made of dry sugarcane waste and can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. At present, they can be used only for low-cost housing with a combination of wooden or metal structures.
Pollution has taken a huge toll on our environment and Earth’s natural resources are depleting at a rapid rate. Solutions to tackle this global crisis are emerging in all sectors, ranging from using cloth bags to availing public transport or electric vehicles.
The environment-friendly solutions include the bio-brick, an alternative to the conventional clay brick used for construction. The speciality of these bricks is that they are made from sugarcane bagasse, a dry pulpy fibrous residue left after the cane is crushed for its juices.
These bricks were first developed by Priyabrata Rautray, a PhD scholar in the Design Department of IIT-Hyderabad, along with Avik Roy, an Assistant Professor at KIIT School of Architecture, Bhubaneswar.
Priyabrata Rautray, PhD Scholar, Design Department at IIT-Hyderabad (Image: Edex Live).
The project is currently being carried out under the guidance of Professor Deepak John Mathew, Head-Design Department, IIT-Hyderabad, and Dr Boris Eisenbart from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.
Speaking about the project, Avik said, “Bio-bricks are not only more sustainable than clay bricks but, also act as carbon sinks because they fix more carbon dioxide than they produce during their lifecycle,” Edex Live reported.
A single bio-brick developed at IIT Hyderabad uses up to 900 grams of sugarcane bagasse. If burnt, it would release 639 grams of carbon dioxide. What makes the brick unique is that it can also absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As per the team’s calculation, a single block consumes 322.2 grams of carbon dioxide.
According to NDTV, the first step of manufacturing these bricks is selecting dry agricultural waste like cotton plants, wheat straws, paddy straws, and sugarcane bagasse. For the first sample of the bio-brick, the team decided to use dry sugarcane bagasse.
The bagasse is chopped up, added to a fine lime-based slurry, and mixed thoroughly - either by hand or a mechanical mixer - to create a homogenous mixture.
Once ready, the mixture is then poured into moulds and rammed with wooden blocks to obtain the desired shape and size of the brick. The mould is left for a day or two to dry, after which it is removed and left to dry in the sun for the next 15-20 days. It takes another month to attain its working strength, which is obtained by air-drying the bricks.
Unlike conventional bricks, these bio-bricks can be used only for low-cost housing with a combination of wooden or metal structures. Apart from absorbing carbon dioxide, it also provides good insulation from heat and sound, and also helps in maintaining the temperature of the house.
“Other than bio-bricks, the raw material can be used as panel boards or insulation boards. As designers, we could explore such applications for this sustainable material,” Priyabrata told NDTV.
The innovative bio-brick received a Special Recognition Trophy for sustainable housing at Rural Innovators Start-Up Conclave 2019, recently organised by the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), Hyderabad.
(Edited by Suman Singh)
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