Producing fly ash brick consumes less energy and emits less CO2 because it does not require firing to harden the masonry units. FAB also contains a high percentage of recycled material content – up to 40%. Its principal ingredient is fly ash, a pre-consumer byproduct of coal-fired power generation.
A new masonry material, fly-ash brick (FAB), has been developed to provide the traditional benefits of brick masonry while significantly reducing the energy consumed and CO2 emitted in brick production.
The article, “The Building Brick of Sustainability,” by Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CCS, Steven H. Miller, CDT, CSI, and Julie Rapoport, PHD, PE, LEED AP, in the May issue of The Construction Specifier, cites a previous article of mine as a source. However, this recent piece is riddled with faulty assumptions and inaccurate information.
One interesting new product, fly-ash brick, will soon be available for use in construction, says Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, a principal with Chusid Associates, Tarzana, Calif.
Brick masonry has been a primary technique of the built environment for at least seven millennia, making it one of the oldest construction technologies in common use. Its legacy and enduring beauty in existing architecture makes it a desirable, and sometimes even required, architectural choice in many locations.
