Clay and concrete bricks could become a thing of the past thanks to a new project up and running at Yorkshire Water's Knostrop waste water treatment works in Leeds that is turning incinerated sewage into carbon neutral house bricks.

Devised by Leeds University spin-out company Encos, the product aims to reduce the environmental impact of construction by providing an alternative to traditional cement, which is responsible for around five per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions.

By using incinerated sludge, which is a bi-product of the waste water treatment process, as a component to make the bricks, Yorkshire Water is also reducing the amount of waste it sends to landfill.

The product which is currently being tested at the company's Knostrop site in Leeds, combines ash from incinerated sludge with vegetable-oil-based binders to create the bricks and blocks. These are classed as carbon negative because the plants used to make the vegetable oil have absorbed CO2 from the atmosphere.

Jon Brigg, Innovation Development Manager at Yorkshire Water said:

"We are always looking for ways in which we can make the best use of our waste to have a positive impact on our environment and this project is a great way to reuse incinerated sludge ash which has traditionally been sent to landfill."

With new building regulations coming into force in the next few years home builders will need to reduce the embedded carbon cost of all new homes - the bricks and blocks will provide a perfect alternative to traditional house bricks."