Production waste recycling, landfill-derived fuel usage, and a mammoth, energy-efficient kiln have earned LEED Gold certification for the 295,000-sq.-ft., Terre Haute, Ind., plant of clay-product market leader Boral Bricks
Source: Boral Bricks Inc., Roswell, Ga.
Production waste recycling, landfill-derived fuel usage, and a mammoth, energy-efficient kiln have earned LEED Gold certification for the 295,000-sq.-ft., Terre Haute, Ind., plant of clay-product market leader Boral Bricks. Opened in March 2008 with output capacity of 120 million brick per year–North America’s largest such operation–the facility incorporates robotic setting and packaging devices, plus a 530-ft.-long, 33-ft.-wide kiln sufficient for curing 27 unit racks or ‘cars’, each weighing about 57 tons. Kiln-heating units running on methane drawn from Republic ServicesÌ nearby Victory landfill enable stacking, firing and cooling a batch of bricks in less than 30 hours. Boral Brick officials note additional sustainability realized in production via use of reclaimed shale from a central Indiana coal-mining property, plus premium efficient motors, sensors and light timers.
U.S. Green Building Council offers Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum (Leadership in Energy and Enviromental Design) LEED ratings; each requires buildings to meet criteria in sustainable site development, energy and water efficiency, materials and resource selection, as well as indoor environmental quality categories. The Terre Haute plant’s LEED Gold, notes Boral Bricks President Bob Kepford, adds credibility to the important work we’re doing to ensure our manufacturing facility, processes and products are sustainable and have little impact on the environment.”