First CO2 neutral brick production line – Wienerberger Belgium – 2021

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First CO2 neutral brick production line – Wienerberger Belgium – 2021

Capaccioli developed and produced for Wienerberger a revolutionary CO2- Neutral brickslips production line. The use of new and highly advanced technologies will enable our customer to reduce material consumption, introduce closed cycles, shorten transport distances in the building industry and at the same time reduce CO2 emissions. The innovative new moulding technology differs from previous methods in which brickslips were produced by sawing bricks, which generated a certain amount of waste. The new system produces soft-mud brick slips of high dimensional accuracy and stability while avoiding geometric variations, and both dryer and kiln run entirely on electricity.  A static cell brick dryer was installed, heated by electrical heat generators that recover energy from the Kiln. The electricity used comes from alternative sources that are certified zero CO2 emissions. An electrical generator with armoured heaters is used for heating the air. Crossing the armoured heaters at a temperature of 300°C, the process air is heated to a temperature of approximately 140°C before being sent into the drying chamber. Another process innovation concerns decoration. Whereas the bricks slips were previously coloured through the entire body, this is now done by means of a digital printer which applies the engobe in small drops directly onto surface of the brick before and after firing. This new process allows flexibility, higher speed and shorter changeover times. It also brings benefits in terms of  creativity by offering unlimited aesthetic and finishing options.