Building houses with ocean waste: the idea of an American start-up, which wants to save the world one piece of plastic at a time.
Building houses with ocean waste: the idea of an American start-up, which wants to save the world one piece of plastic at a time.
Plastic is not the problem, the question is what to do with it and be part of the solution. Here is the vision of the company ByFusion Global Inc., which collects plastic waste from the oceans to turn it into building material.
ByFusion uses a combination of steam and compression to mold all types of plastic, even non-recyclable, into blocks called ByBlocks. These can be used to build anything from fences to walls, terraces to bus stops.
But the real protagonists of the production process are the machines, called Blockers. These machines are filled with piles of waste, which are then crushed into blocks, without the need for sorting. After years of research and development, the company has installed a full production unit in Los Angeles, where it can process 450 tons of plastic annually.
There are three variations of ByBlock: some are shaped with pegs so that they can fit together, others are flat and still others are a combination of the two. ByFusion is also working on the development of smaller bricks.
The blocks are even stronger than hollow concrete bricks. They can be coated with any type of material or left uncovered. However, since sunlight could ruin the plastic, exterior constructions must be coated with clear varnish or covered with another material.
The system works with virtually any type of plastic, including fishing nets; the only type excluded is polystyrene. Plus, because the plastic is melted, the material assembly process doesn't require an ounce of glue or mortar. Consequently, the process does not produce waste: 9 kilograms of plastic make a ByBlock of the same weight.If we can install 9.000 Blocker systems around the world by 2025 - says Heidi Kujawa, CEO of the company - we could reach our goal of recovering 100 million tons.
Read also:
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- The start-up of this Kenyan woman recycles tons of plastic into bricks harder than concrete
- This Indian startup turns polluted air into beautiful tiles
- Schoolgirl transforms old clothes into heat-insulating bricks
