By Lidija Grozdanic, Source: Inhabitat

The Carbon Buster is a new building block that captures more carbon dioxide than is emitted during its manufacturing (14kg per ton). The high-performing masonry product, developed by British company Lignacite, Ltd. in partnership with Carbon8 Aggregates, is made up of more than 50% recycled material, including the Carbon8 pellets which use thermal residues from waste to energy plants, mixing them with water and carbon dioxide. The resulting aggregate is incorporated into the company’s products, creating the world’s first carbon negative building block.

For its other products Lignacite used sand and gravel combined with recycled materials such as wood shavings, glass and shells, creating products that had a minimal carbon footprint. Through partnership with Carbon8 Aggregates, the company managed to produce a new masonry product that boasts negative carbon content.

The product idea is based on a research carried out at the University of Greenwich’s School of Science, which focused on the reuse of thermal residues from waste to energy plants. By mixing the residue with water and carbon dioxide, the Carbon8’s experts were able to transform the residue material into an environmentally friendly substitute for conventional building aggregates. The company’s carbonation plant was erected in Brandon, Suffolk, next to Lignacite’s masonry plant. Two companies joined forces to manufacture the Carbon Buster block which is made out of carbonated residues, mixed with binders and fillers.