Maze of Innovation

Organization
Vandersanden, Dries Beyens, Dominique Nassen, Rudi Vandormael

Project information

To produce Pirrouet® – CO2-negative facing bricks, mineral rest-products from the steel industry are mixed with sand, dyes and water, and then pressed in brick moulds. In a conditioned room – with high CO2 concentration – the bricks are cured. The CO2 reacts with calcium-containing materials creating carbonates. This permanent bond creates a hard limestone-like brick.

• CO2-negative product: during the production process as much as 60 kg of CO2 is absorbed per tonne of Pirrouet® facing bricks. During curing, the CO2 permanently connects to the calcium-containing materials in the bricks.
• CO2-neutral production: to ensure sustainable solutions are used in the process, we largely generate our own green electricity through solar panels and wind turbines.
• Reduced use of primary raw materials: up to 80% of raw materials come from residual flows from the steel industry