传统的砖在生产和运输过程中造成了严重的环境问题
传统的砖在生产和运输过程中造成了严重的环境问题
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.
尽管我们每天都被数以百万计的砖块包围着，但大多数人并不会经常想到砖块。几千年来，不起眼的粘土烧制砖一直没有改变。对于古巴比伦的城市规划者、中国长城的砖瓦工，或者莫斯科圣巴西尔大教堂的建造者来说，现代郊区住宅的建筑街区是熟悉的。
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.
但正如我们所知，由于消耗了有限的原材料和产生碳排放，砖块造成了严重的环境问题。这就是苏格兰赫瑞瓦特大学岩土工程和地质环境工程教授加布里埃拉•梅德罗决定重新设计它的原因。
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.
梅德罗来自巴西，她说土木工程吸引了她，因为它给了她对数学和物理的热情一个实用的出路。当她意识到建筑业的可持续性问题时，她开始寻找解决方案。在她所在大学的支持下，梅德罗与为工程师的同事萨姆·查普曼在2009年联合成立了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.
该公司的标志性产品是K-Briq。梅德罗说，K-Briq砖由90%以上的建筑废料制成，不需要在窑中燃烧，产生的碳排放量不到传统砖的十分之一。随着公司测试新机器以开始扩大产量，梅德罗希望她的砖能帮助建立一个更可持续的世界。
The problem with bricks
砖块的问题
Although they're made from natural materials, there are problems with bricks at every step of their production.
尽管它们是由天然材料制成的，但砖在生产的每一步都存在问题。
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.
砖是由粘土制成的，粘土是世界各地都有的一种土壤。粘土开采侵蚀了这片土地肥沃的表层土壤，抑制了植物的生长。
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.
在传统的砖生产中，粘土被塑形并在高达1250摄氏度(2280华氏度)的窑中烘烤。大部分砖窑是由化石燃料加热的，这导致了气候变化。
Once made, bricks must be transported to construction sites, generating more carbon emissions.
砖一旦制成，就必须运到建筑工地，从而产生更多的碳排放。
Globally, 1,500 billion bricks are produced, every year. Laid end-to-end, they would stretch to the moon and back 390 times.
全球每年生产1.5万亿块砖。如果把它们首尾相连，它们可以往返月球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.
不同砖的环境足迹反映了多种因素，包括窑的类型、燃料和运输。但是梅德罗说，由于产生了这么多，它们的影响也就增加了，梅德罗说。
Why can't old bricks be re-used?
为什么旧砖不能重复使用?
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.
在英国，每年约有25亿块新砖用于建筑，而被拆除的旧砖数量也大致相同。一个看起来简单的解决砖生产问题的方法是重复使用旧砖。
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."
但这并不简单。据荷兰代尔夫特理工大学气候设计和可持续性研究人员鲍勃·盖尔德曼称，回收砖块是一个昂贵且“劳动密集型”的过程。
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.
根据英国砖发展协会的说法，需要仔细拆除旧砖结构，用锤子和凿子清理砖上的灰泥。再生砖用于帮助修复历史建筑或其他专门项目，但对于大规模建设，过程过于昂贵。
