First "Green" Brickworks by Wienerberger in Test Operation

In Wienerberger's first "green" brick factory, a large industrial electric furnace has replaced the gas furnace for back wall bricks. This led to a reduction in CO2 emissions at this "demonstration site" by up to 90 percent. The conversion of the site took 24 months and incurred costs of 30 million euros.

Milestone for Wienerberger with First "Green" Brick Factory

Currently, the factory with a production capacity of 270 tons of bricks per day is being evaluated, Wienerberger announced on Thursday. Under the factory management of Gerhard Pichler, 16 employees ensure smooth operations at the site. "With the successful commissioning of the electric furnace, we have reached a real milestone for sustainable brick production," emphasized Wienerberger Austria CEO Johann Marchner, referring to the "greenest production site" of the brick giant. Wienerberger partly financed the conversion with subsidies.

The extensive conversion measures as part of the "GreenBricks" project show that "Wienerberger is firmly committed to taking significant steps for climate protection and investing in Austria as an important economic location in the long term," said Marchner. According to the group, the electric furnace is powered by green electricity, including from its own photovoltaic system. The reduction in CO2 emissions by almost 90 percent corresponds to a reduction of up to 7,340 tons per year. This is comparable to an annual driving distance of 600 circumnavigations of the earth by car.

Wienerberger Tests "Groundbreaking Technologies in Live Operation" in Braunau

According to the information, the ceremonial opening was attended by Wienerberger CFO Gerhard Hanke and the Austrian CEO, as well as the Upper Austrian Economic State Councilor Markus Achleitner (ÖVP) and Environmental State Councilor Stefan Kaineder (Greens). The Uttendorf factory has been part of Wienerberger since 1987. The group tests "groundbreaking technologies in live operation" at the site. In 2019, an industrial high-temperature heat pump for drying processes was successfully used there for the first time.

From spring 2022, as part of the NEFI project "GreenBricks" - which is funded by the Climate and Energy Fund as part of the FTI initiative "Showcase Region Energy" - the gas furnace was gradually replaced by the first industrial electric furnace in collaboration with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. In addition, a new hall for sawdust preparation and three new heat pumps were installed. The "almost climate-neutral wall bricks" are now transported with Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGV) instead of oven cars. The entire electrical infrastructure and large parts of the clay preparation have also been modernized.

(APA/Red)

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