Immense volumes of earth are extracted each year from construction sites in Brussels. BC Materials converts this excess soil into circular, CO2-neutral building materials. In particular in compressed earth bricks which will be used on subsequent sites.
1 The land of Brussels
In Brussels, huge volumes of earth are excavated during worksites. “About 2 million tonnes per year, calculates Anton Maertens, business developer at BC Materials, located near Tour & Taxis. The upper layer is made of sand, generally Brussels sand. Much deeper, we fall on clay Ypresian, technically excellent for construction.”
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In Brussels, huge volumes of earth are excavated during worksites. “About 2 million tonnes per year, calculates Anton Maertens, business developer at BC Materials, located near Tour & Taxis. The upper layer is made of sand, generally Brussels sand. Much deeper, we fall on clay Ypresian, technically excellent for construction.” “We are delighted to have found this site in the port of Brussels, smiles Anton Maertens. We wanted to be in town, at the source, while having sufficient space. The sand is delivered by trucks, which must be able to maneuvering and unloading. Each delivery generally weighs around ten tonnes, at the very least.” A wheel loader dumps sand into a mixer. “It is in the definition of this mixture that the essence of our expertise is expressed, declares Anton Maertens. It is above all a question of finding the right ratio between the Brussels sand and the Ypresian clay. For the load-bearing walls, the brick needs to be stabilized. Stabilizing with lime makes it stronger.” However, stabilized bricks are not completely carbon neutral… “but much more than conventional bricks: 10 times more”, underlines Anton Maertens who adds that the company also produces for timber frame constructions: “The structure being then load-bearing, the walls do not have to be so resistant; our unstabilized bricks give mass to the construction, which improves its acoustic and thermal properties”. Two transport and loading belts convey the mixture to the funnel of the press. “An extremely simple system, appreciates Anton Maertens. Sometimes companies are very focused on high-tech solutions that have the art of complicating everything. We believe that basic technology is, in some cases, a smarter solution. ” The mixture is compressed in a mold at a pressure of 180 bars. “We had this press made to measure by a French specialist, explains Anton Maertens. Its production capacity is around 1,500 bricks per day. It also allows us to produce prototypes. This is important because we work with many kinds We can test new variants. It is also a machine that can be moved on site in order to produce on site. In this case, we press earth that has just been excavated or almost.” The bricks are stacked on pallets and placed on racks, where they will dry for a month before being transported to new construction sites.
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