The Next Big Thing

4 June 2009

A green building material developed by UNSW scientists is a finalist in the 2009 Next Big Thing Award.

The recycling-technology is a finalist in a global competition showcasing new innovations with the potential to become 'the next big thing'. Manufactured under license from NewSouth Innovations by Vecor Australia Pty Ltd the technology recycles fly ash – an industrial pollutant – into high-strength, lightweight building products.

Fly ash is an unavoidable by-product of burning coal to produce electricity. The grey powdery residue is often dumped in nearby lakes or disused mine shafts to avoid its unsightly and contaminating effects. Each year the world produces an estimated 800 million tonnes of fly ash. New South Wales-based coal-fired power generators produce
4 million tonnes of the pollutant annually – enough to manufacture more than 200 million bricks.

"This technology ticks all the boxes," says Vecor's chief executive, Alex Koszo. "It will help rid the environment of an industrial pollutant and turn it into building products that are lighter, stronger and greener than today's equivalent building materials.”

Material scientists Dr Obada Kayali and Mr Karl Shaw of the University of New South Wales pioneered the original technology and have worked closely with Vecor Australia to refine it for market. It effectively "locks up" fly ash to produce strong, lightweight bricks and aggregate. The new bricks are 28 per cent lighter and 24 per cent stronger than comparable clay bricks, while the aggregate can be used to make concrete that is 25 per cent lighter and 20 per cent stronger than products made from quarried aggregates and mined sand.

These characteristics are expected to translate into lower construction costs and less greenhouse emissions because lighter structures require smaller foundations, cheaper transportation, and less cement and steel required for reinforcement. The new bricks generate fewer emissions than standard clay bricks during manufacture because they take less heating time in a brick kiln.

In November 2008, NSi and Vecor announced that China plans to build the world's first brick and tile factory to using the fly ash-recycling technology. The factory will be built on a 300-acre site adjacent to a coal-fired power station by a Sino-Australian consortium within the northern Henan province city of Hebi. It is expected to be opened within two years and expanded over five years. By then it will be capable of producing 500 million bricks, 50 million pavers, and 25 million square metres of ceramic products annually.

The Next Big Thing Award is run by the Victorian Innovation Centre Limited (INNOVIC), an independent, not-for-profit organisation offering commercialisation services to people with new ideas. Winners will share more than $60,000 in cash and prizes when they are announced on Thursday 2 July. An expert panel will select winners and category prizes. The Next Big Thing also has a People’s Choice Award.

See this novel technology on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzXimHnDkiY
To vote for your favourite innovation go to:
http://nextbigthingaward.com/2009_finalists.html


The Next Big Thing Award: http://www.nextbigthingaward.com
INNOVIC: http://innovic.com.au

Media contacts: NSi, Dan Gaffney 0411 156 015, INNOVIC, Anita van Rooyen, 03 9650 4733