The e4E binder stores all CO₂ produced during manufacturing as stable carbonates, eliminating emissions.
ustainable materials specialist earth4Earth(e4E) has designed a range of bricks that can capture and permanently store carbon dioxide. Using Direct Air Capture(DAC), these bricks can extract CO2 from the air and transform buildings into carbon sinks.
The first batch of these bricks is ready for use in the UK and is currently in use for pilot projects. The bricks are made from excavated soil, which would otherwise go to landfill. However, the secret to the innovation lies in the special binder developed by e4E.
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All about the binder
Binders are known to produce a lot of CO2 during their production, but e4E has developed a unique technology that reduces these emissions.
“The binder is incredibly unique”, said Professor Theodore Hanein, Co-founder of earth4Earth.
“As with most traditional binders, ours is lime-based. Lime is typically produced by heating limestone at temperatures of around 1,000°C. Traditional production generates CO2 emissions from both the breakdown of the raw materials and the fossil fuels needed to achieve the high temperatures required,” he said.
The unique lime process
Hanein also shed light on the lime production process they have developed in e4E.
“We have developed a unique lime production process that can be done at room temperature. All of the carbon produced during the manufacture of the e4E binder is also permanently stored in a solid form, rather than being released into the atmosphere as CO2,” he said.
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The binder used in the bricks captures and stores atmospheric CO2 through a carbonation reaction. Once absorbed, the carbon further enhances the materials’ properties.
The product line
e4E has created a product line for different requirements, such as N10, N20, and N30 bricks, which contain 10%, 20%, and 30% of the e4E binder. The level of carbon absorption increases with the increase in this percentage.
The company also has a research center based in Sheffield and a factory in Wuhan, China. With the production line now established, e4E plans to commence production in the UK next year, creating 30 jobs locally.
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A vision for the future
“We are planning to develop other types of brick and materials using the e4E binder in the future too. We want to provide practical solutions to the decarbonisation of the construction industry, and we believe that high-quality materials with a range of eco-credentials will deliver this,” said Lei Zhang, director and co-founder of e4E.
“It has been great to collaborate with others on our journey, and we are keen to hear from anyone who would be interested in joining us to scale this innovative solution further,” he continued, stating the company’s long-term vision.
NOTE – This article was originally published in interestingengineering and can be viewed here