傳統(tǒng)的磚在生產和運輸過程中造成了嚴重的環(huán)境問題

傳統(tǒng)的磚在生產和運輸過程中造成了嚴重的環(huán)境問題

Although we're surrounded by millions of them every day, most of us don't think about bricks too often. For thousands of years, the humble clay-fired brick hasn't changed. The building blocks of modern suburban homes would be familiar to the city planners of ancient Babylon, the bricklayers of the Great Wall of China, or the builders of Moscow's Saint Basil's Cathedral.

盡管我們每天都被數以百萬計的磚塊包圍著，但大多數人并不會經常想到磚塊。幾千年來，不起眼的粘土燒制磚一直沒有改變。對于古巴比倫的城市規(guī)劃者、中國長城的磚瓦工，或者莫斯科圣巴西爾大教堂的建造者來說，現代郊區(qū)住宅的建筑街區(qū)是熟悉的。

But the brick as we know it causes significant environmental problems, by using up raw, finite materials and creating carbon emissions. That's why Gabriela Medero, a professor of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University, decided to reinvent it.

但正如我們所知，由于消耗了有限的原材料和產生碳排放，磚塊造成了嚴重的環(huán)境問題。這就是蘇格蘭赫瑞瓦特大學巖土工程和地質環(huán)境工程教授加布里埃拉•梅德羅決定重新設計它的原因。

Originally from Brazil, Medero says she was drawn to civil engineering because it gave her passion for maths and physics a practical outlet. As she became aware of the construction industry's sustainability issues, she started looking for solutions. With her university's support, Medero joined forces with fellow engineer Sam Chapman and set up Kenoteq in 2009.

梅德羅來自巴西，她說土木工程吸引了她，因為它給了她對數學和物理的熱情一個實用的出路。當她意識到建筑業(yè)的可持續(xù)性問題時，她開始尋找解決方案。在她所在大學的支持下，梅德羅與為工程師的同事薩姆·查普曼在2009年聯合成立了Kenoteq。

The company's signature product is the K-Briq. Made from more than 90% construction waste, Medero says the K-Briq -- which does not need to be fired in a kiln -- produces less than a tenth of the carbon emissions of conventional bricks. With the company testing new machinery to start scaling up production, Medero hopes her bricks will help to build a more sustainable world.

該公司的標志性產品是K-Briq。梅德羅說，K-Briq磚由90%以上的建筑廢料制成，不需要在窯中燃燒，產生的碳排放量不到傳統(tǒng)磚的十分之一。隨著公司測試新機器以開始擴大產量，梅德羅希望她的磚能幫助建立一個更可持續(xù)的世界。

The problem with bricks

磚塊的問題

Although they're made from natural materials, there are problems with bricks at every step of their production.

盡管它們是由天然材料制成的，但磚在生產的每一步都存在問題。

Bricks are made from clay -- a type of soil found all over the world. Clay mining strips the land's fertile topsoil, inhibiting plant growth.

磚是由粘土制成的，粘土是世界各地都有的一種土壤。粘土開采侵蝕了這片土地肥沃的表層土壤，抑制了植物的生長。

In conventional brick production, the clay is shaped and baked in kilns at temperatures up to 1,250°C (2,280°F). The majority of brick kilns are heated by fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change.

在傳統(tǒng)的磚生產中，粘土被塑形并在高達1250攝氏度(2280華氏度)的窯中烘烤。大部分磚窯是由化石燃料加熱的，這導致了氣候變化。

Once made, bricks must be transported to construction sites, generating more carbon emissions.

磚一旦制成，就必須運到建筑工地，從而產生更多的碳排放。

Globally, 1,500 billion bricks are produced, every year. Laid end-to-end, they would stretch to the moon and back 390 times.

全球每年生產1.5萬億塊磚。如果把它們首尾相連，它們可以往返月球390次。

The environmental footprint of different bricks reflects multiple factors including the type of kiln, fuel, and transportation. But with so many produced, their impact adds up, says Medero.

不同磚的環(huán)境足跡反映了多種因素，包括窯的類型、燃料和運輸。但是梅德羅說，由于產生了這么多，它們的影響也就增加了，梅德羅說。

Why can't old bricks be re-used?

為什么舊磚不能重復使用?

In the UK, around 2.5 billion new bricks are used in construction every year -- and about the same number of old bricks are demolished. A seemingly simple solution to the brick production problem would be to re-use old bricks.

在英國，每年約有25億塊新磚用于建筑，而被拆除的舊磚數量也大致相同。一個看起來簡單的解決磚生產問題的方法是重復使用舊磚。

But it's not that straightforward. According to Bob Geldermans, a climate design and sustainability researcher at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, reclaiming bricks is an expensive and "labor-intensive process."

但這并不簡單。據荷蘭代爾夫特理工大學氣候設計和可持續(xù)性研究人員鮑勃·蓋爾德曼稱，回收磚塊是一個昂貴且“勞動密集型”的過程。

According to the UK's Brick Development Association, old brick structures need to be carefully dismantled and the bricks cleaned of mortar with hammers and chisels. Reclaimed bricks are used to help renovate historic buildings or for other specialized projects but for mass construction, the process is too costly.

根據英國磚發(fā)展協會的說法，需要仔細拆除舊磚結構，用錘子和鑿子清理磚上的灰泥。再生磚用于幫助修復歷史建筑或其他專門項目，但對于大規(guī)模建設，過程過于昂貴。