Bricks made from alternative materials are helping Bangladesh meet its infrastructure needs without damaging the topsoil or causing excessive air pollution.
Demand for bricks has risen in Bangladesh in recent years thanks to public and private infrastructure development, but the country's brick factories use 3.35 billion cubic feet of topsoil and clay annually, according to a report by the government's Ministry of Environment.
This is a problem because topsoil degradation threatens sustainable agriculture. Although farmers make short-term profits by selling the soil for brick production, studies have found that the practice reduces yields by 40-80% and incomes by 40-70%, ultimately impacting a country's food security and farmers' long-term finances.
Aside from soil concerns, Bangladesh's traditional production of fired clay bricks also affects air quality: in the Dhaka region alone, brick kilns emit 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, 302,000 tonnes of carbon monoxide and other harmful substances.
To address these environmental concerns, local governments are closing down traditional brick kilns and converting them into alternative brick factories, which are made from dredged river soil, cement, sand and iron.
“We have decided to use alternative bricks mainly for official construction works starting this year,” said Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Saber Hossain Chowdhury.
The alternative bricks will not only protect Bangladesh's environment but also help the country save a lot of money – their production cost is about half that of conventional fired bricks.
“These building materials can be easily used to construct buildings in rural and urban areas of the country and do not require soil, reducing pressure on topsoil,” said Mohammed Ashraful Alam, director of the Bangladesh Housing and Building Research Institute.
Bangladesh's move towards alternative bricks is just one of many advances around the world that are driving modern brick-making technology. Innovators are also experimenting with making bricks using sugarcane by-products, invasive algae and recycled bottles to make buildings stronger, more sustainable and more durable.
Fortunately, the rapidly growing brick-making industry appears to support the Bangladesh government's move towards alternative bricks.
“We are willing to shift our business from burnt bricks to non-burnt alternative bricks if market demand is created through promotion,” said Firoz Haider Khan, president of Bangladesh Brick Manufacturers Association.
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