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Turning India's agricultural waste into eco-friendly bio-bricks

Burning agricultural waste is one of the major causes of pollution in India. Instead, this agro-waste can be used as the construction material to overcome the shortage of conventional building equipment raised due to rapid urbanisation. This patent proposes the art for making an eco-friendly bio-brick from agricultural waste that can be used to build a non-load-bearing wall.

About Company

Based on patent titled ECO-FRIENDLY BIO-BRICK AND PROCESS OF PREPARATION THEREOF published By IBRUM TECHNOLOGIES

1 Introduction and key takeaways

<p><strong>Problem Statement:</strong></p> <p>Firstly, burning agricultural waste is one of the major sources of pollution. Even after the ban imposed by India's government on crop burning, due to low economic benefits and improper disposal system, farmers tend to ignore the ban and continue burning agricultural waste.&nbsp;</p> <p>Secondly, with rapid urbanisation and exponential growth of population, there is a huge demand for housing and other accessories related to housing. This is creating a shortage of conventional building materials.</p> <p><strong>Solution:</strong></p> <p>The application of agro-waste as the construction material can result in the reduction of redundant agricultural waste.</p> <p><em>This patent proposes the art of making eco-friendly, light in weight bio-bricks that be used for building a non-load-bearing wall to reduce agro-waste burning and pollution.</em></p> <p><strong>Key takeaways </strong>of the patent:</p> <p>1. The eco-friendly bio-bricks are sustainable building material used as a carbon sink to reduce pollution and lower the country's carbon footprint. These bricks act as a good fire retardant and offer good heat and sound insulation.</p>

2 Components of a bio-brick

2

All the three components (agro-waste, lime powder, variable third component) are mixed in a fixed ratio(discussed later). This mixture is poured into a wooden mould and is let to dry for fifteen to twenty days to form a bio-brick.

1

The bio-brick is made up of three components. 

First component: lime powder (a mixture of slaked lime and water);

Second component: agro-waste ( cut down to size < = 15 mm);

Third component (discussed in next the highlight): is variable based on the type of brick made.

<p>Figure 2 illustrates the process of preparing an eco-friendly bio-brick. The eco-friendly bio-brick comprises a first component, a second component, said the first component being a lime-based slurry comprising slake lime and water, said the second component being dry agro-waste with the size of said second component being less than or equal to <strong>15 mm</strong>.<strong> </strong>The third component is variable (stone dust, bel fruit pulp, clay, molasses) based on the type of brick is made.&nbsp;</p> <p>The first, second and third variable component are mixed in a ratio of 2:1:1.</p>

3 Types of bio-bricks

4

The third type of brick is made of agro-waste, lime powder, and molasses mixed in the ratio 1:2:1.

1

This highlight discusses different types of bio-bricks made using lime powder, agro-waste and clay/bel fruit pulp/molasses/stone dust in the ratio 2:1:1 respectively.

5

The fourth type of brick is made of agro-waste, lime powder, and stone dust: (waste obtained from the crushing plants) mixed in the ratio 1:2:1. These bricks are fire resistant (survived a flame above 600° C for 3 minutes).

3

The second type of brick is made of agro-waste, lime powder, and bel fruit pulp (the slurry made from the pulp of the Aegle marmelos fruit soaked in water) mixed in the ratio 1:2:1. 

2

The first type of brick comprises three components: agro-waste, lime powder, and clay mixed in the ratio 1:2:1. These bricks have excellent heat and sound insulation with a minimal dead load on the wall. 

see source
<p>FIG. 3 describes different types of bio-bricks made by using different materials.</p> <p>The <strong>agricultural waste</strong> and its variations such as <strong>agro-waste</strong> are to be construed as being inclusive of any type of waste produced due to agricultural activities, 10 including dry hay, sugarcane bagasse, etc cotton plant waste, and the like.</p> <p>The bio-brick of size (150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm) weighing 1.43 kg, the weight of constituent elements are :&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Lime-based Slurry (First Component) - 715 gm</li> <li>Agro-waste (dry plant waste) (Second Component) – 357.5 gm&nbsp;</li> <li>Stone Dust/Bel Fruit pulp/Clay/Molasses (Third Component) – 357.5 gm&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>The agro-waste comprised dry sugarcane bagasse (purchased from a local juice centre), wheat straw (purchased from a local trader dealing with cattle fodder), and paddy straw (purchased from trader dealing with cattle fodder).&nbsp;</p> <p>Water was added to make the lime-based slurry during the mixing stage, which almost evaporated at the end of curing time, thus, it did not add to the overall weight.&nbsp;</p>

4 Bio-bricks as an effective carbon sink

3

During the manufacturing of the brick, a small amount of CO2 is released into the atmosphere. During carbonation(drying the brick) the bio-brick acts as a carbon sink and absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.

1

The figure illustrates the negative carbon footprint of the bio-brick. The bio-brick also acts as an effective carbon sink.

2

The uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere during the photosynthesis process.

4

The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere during the manufacturing process(red) is less than the amount of CO2 absorbed during biogenic intake(green) & carbonation(yellow)

see source
<p>FIG. 4 describes the overall carbon emissions from the eco-friendly bio-brick have a negative carbon footprint. Therefore, the brick acts as an effective carbon sink.</p> <p>Firstly, atmospheric carbon dioxide is taken by plants during their growth and is locked in their cellulose.&nbsp;</p> <p>Secondly, by the process of carbonation, the calcium hydroxide absorbs carbon dioxide to form a more stable calcium bicarbonate or calcium carbonate. Thus, the amount of carbon dioxide produced in making the eco-friendly bio-brick is less as compared to carbon dioxide retained in it, thus, making it a very sustainable building material.</p>

5 Understanding the claims

<p><strong>Independent claims</strong> of the patent:</p> <p><strong>Claim 1:</strong> An eco-friendly bio-brick comprising:&nbsp;</p> <p>a first component, a second component, and a third component in a ratio of 2:1:1 by weight, said first component being a lime-based slurry, said second component being dry agro-waste, and said third component being stone dust, with the size of said second component being less than or equal to 15 mm, and said lime-based slurry being made from 400 gm of lime with 400 ml of water. @@h2</p> <p><strong>Claim 9: </strong>A process of preparing an eco-friendly bio-brick, comprising the steps of:&nbsp;</p> <p>careful selection of a second component, said the second component being dry agro-waste; chopping the second component to a size less than or equal to 15 mm;&nbsp; &nbsp;@@h2</p> <p>preparing the first component by mixing 400 gm of lime with 400 ml of water, said the first component being a lime-based slurry;&nbsp;@@h2</p> <p>mixing the first component with the chopped second component and a third component in a 2:1:1 ratio by weight to create a homogeneous mixture, said the third component being stone dust;&nbsp;@@h2</p> <p>pouring the mixture into moulds and ramming with a wooden block to make a compact brick by removing extra water or voids; leaving the moulds to dry for a day or two; and @@h2</p> <p>removing the sides of the moulds and allowing the brick to dry for fifteen to twenty days. &nbsp;&nbsp;@@h2</p> <p><br></p>

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