Exterior masonry facade built with Kenoteq K-Briq, an unfired brick made from 90 percent recycled construction waste.

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Kenoteq K-Briq® – Unfired Recycled Brick

Name: Kenoteq K-Briq® – Unfired Recycled Brick
Address: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

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1. The Material: The K-Briq® is a revolutionary, unfired facing brick made from over 90% recycled construction and demolition (C&D) waste, including reclaimed rubble, gravel, sand, and plasterboard. Traditional clay bricks require firing in gas kilns at temperatures exceeding 1,000°C. The K-Briq completely bypasses this energy-intensive phase. It is hydraulically pressed and cured at ambient temperature using a proprietary binder. This cold-manufacturing process reduces the embodied carbon footprint to less than 10% of a standard fired clay brick. Furthermore, it offers double the thermal insulation value of standard bricks, possesses excellent acoustic properties due to its dense mass, and can be pigmented in a wide range of colors without the need for toxic glazes or firing.

2. The Company & The Story: Spun out of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, Kenoteq was founded by Professor Gabriela Medero and Dr. Sam Chapman after over a decade of research into sustainable construction materials. Recognizing that construction waste accounts for over a third of all landfill mass globally, their goal was to close the loop. Kenoteq operates on a hyper-local urban mining model: demolition waste is collected from city sites, sorted, and pressed into K-Briqs within the same region. This drastically cuts Scope 3 transportation emissions and provides cities with a circular pathway to rebuild themselves using their own waste.

3. Technical & Commercial Summary: Commercially, the K-Briq is a direct, drop-in replacement for traditional facing bricks. It is manufactured to standard UK brick dimensions (215 x 102.5 x 65 mm) and can be laid using conventional masonry techniques and standard mortars. Designed for exterior facades and interior feature walls, it allows developers, architects, and main contractors to aggressively decarbonize commercial and residential projects while utilizing familiar building methods.

Unfired Production: Cold-pressed and cured at room temperature, eliminating the massive fossil fuel consumption of traditional kilns.
90% Recycled Content: Manufactured from sorted construction and demolition (C&D) waste, actively diverting rubble from landfills.
Radical Decarbonization: Embodied carbon is approximately 10% that of a standard fired clay brick.
Enhanced Thermal Mass: Offers better thermal insulation properties than standard clay bricks, contributing to passive temperature regulation.
Drop-in Standard Sizing: Conforms to standard brick dimensions and requires no specialized labor or new masonry tools for installation.

Verified Sustainability

Certifications & Accolades: BBA (British Board of Agrément) certification ongoing/secured for structural exterior use. Supported by Zero Waste Scotland. EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) available showcasing <10% carbon footprint compared to standard bricks.

Environmental & Bio-Technical Analysis: [Biolisty Auditor Note]: Kenoteq is a masterclass in urban mining and circularity. By avoiding high-heat calcination (kilns) and utilizing 90% waste material, the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) data is incredibly strong. It is not a bio-material, but a heavily upcycled mineral composite. The elimination of gas-fired kilns is the most critical metric here, verifying its status as a radically decarbonized structural unit.

Biolisty Status: Verified by Biolisty. 🟢 We verify the K-Briq as a highly scalable, zero-greenwashing masonry solution essential for circular urban development.

End-of-Life

Scratch Resistance

High / Scratch Proof

Hygiene & Antimicrobial

Moderate / Bacteriostatic

Surface Texture

Textured / Grainy

International Shipping & Export

Universally Approved / Easy Export

Supplied Format

Solid Panels / Blocks

Vapor Permeability