Brick manufacturer Vandersanden on Tuesday officially began operations at its first Pirrouet brick factory in Lanklaar, Limburg, on Tuesday.
The new facility, representing an investment of €32.5 million, will produce 20 million “CO2-negative” facing bricks annually.
According to Vandersanden, one tonne of the facing bricks incorporates no less than 60kg of CO2 during curing.
This is achieved through carbonation, where CO2 reacts with calcium-containing materials to form carbonates, resulting in a hard brick “similar to limestone.”
The company aims to be completely CO2 neutral by 2050, CEO Johan Deburchgrave emphasised.
The energy required for brick production comes from solar panels, a wind turbine on-site, and residual heat from a neighbouring Vandersanden brickyard.
Currently, the 8,000-square-metre facility has a single press, but due to high demand, the firm plans to expand and install a second press next year.
Vandersanden also intends to open additional Pirrouet brick factories in the coming years.
