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A spin-out from the school of School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society has been recognised at this year's Scottish Resources Awards 2019, winning the prestigious innovation award.
The awards, which recognise best practice within the Scottish waste and recycling sector, support the achievements of organisations and individuals striving for a zero waste society.
Professor Medero, who delivered a keynote speech at the Scottish Resources Conference, which preceded this year's awards, said: “We are extremely proud that Kenoteq has been recognised at these important awards. Our brick, known as the K-Briq, has taken more than ten years of research to develop.
“Because it is unfired, the K-Briq produces a tenth of the CO2 emissions of a traditional fired clay brick and requires less than a tenth of the energy in its manufacture. This year, we have invested in machinery that can produce three million bricks per year. We've also put thousands of bricks through rigorous testing so that the K-Briq is now commercially available to construction clients.”
An exemplar circular economy product that can be made in any colour, K-Briq is produced on site at Hamilton Waste & Recycling, reducing the travel miles involved in its production.
Dr Sam Chapman, who works in close partnership with Professor Medero on Kenoteq, added: “Up to 85 per cent of bricks used in Scotland are currently being imported from England or Europe raising considerable questions about the long-term sustainability of the sector. We want to see this change as Scotland works towards lower emission and higher recycling targets.”
Kenoteq is funded and supported by partners including Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre.