Muscat: A team of students from Sultan Qaboos University created Envibrick, an environmentally friendly brick. This invention, constructed entirely of local natural supplies, provides a viable and sustainable replacement for conventional bricks. It successfully contributes to carbon reduction in the construction sector, in accordance with Oman's particular environmental needs, and represents a groundbreaking step toward a sustainable building future.
Envibrick has excellent features that make it suited for Oman's hot and humid environment. It is lightweight, salt resistant, and has great thermal insulation, which reduces energy usage in buildings and provides a more pleasant interior environment.
The brick also has insect-repellent qualities, providing health and environmental benefits for buildings. Furthermore, its inexpensive manufacturing cost makes it a more appealing financial alternative to imported equivalents.
Halima Khamis Al Fajrani, Envibrick's CEO, stated that the team went through extensive research and development. This started with rigorous product testing in university laboratories utilizing specialist equipment, accompanied by thorough documentation of the findings via video and images.
She said that the primary issue was the brick's weight. The team tweaked the component proportions, substituting heavy materials with lighter ones while maintaining quality. Some of the alternatives performed even better than projected.
Al Fajrani acknowledged that efforts are underway to complete the product's formulation in preparation for filing a patent. She said that the firm intends to use 3D printing technology in the following stage, after the final combination has been approved, to create accurate prototypes that satisfy the current demands of contemporary building.
The Envibrick project has made significant achievements, including earning the Sultan Qaboos University Scientific Festival's Best Marketing and Promotional Idea award. The initiative was also named one of the top three student industrial firms, demonstrating the innovation's great potential.
The Envibrick crew intends to extend into the Gulf region, capitalizing on the rising demand for sustainable construction supplies there. This approach is consistent with Oman Vision 2040's goals of sustainability and innovation, strengthening the country's status as a regional hub for environmental innovation.
