EcoBlocks

   
Affordable housing, warehouses, noise walls, energy efficient construction. Schools, clinics, storage facilities, factories, barns, made from by product minerals.
   
The EcoBlocks system is a low tech-low cost technology that uses recovered minerals from waste sources. No heat-forced drying or extensive capital investment for equipment is required. Dense load bearing, sharply formed building blocks are formed on site or as a mobile factory.
  
EcoBlocks are hydraulically compacted at high rates of production. Water and moisturization use are kept to a minimum (wastewater or conditioned pathogen free gray water can be used.
   
A proprietary densification press forms interlocking-nestable maxi blocks in varying sizes.
  
Typical materials used include:
  • sand, clay and portland cement blends
  • dredged sediments from lakes, rivers, harbors, channels and waterways
  • stormwater-drainage silts, sediments
  • coal ash, bottom ash from power plants
  • mine tailings
  • settling ponds at factory sites
  • flue gas derived gypsum from scrubber stacks
  • ground glass from windshields, fluorescent tubes and bottles and glazing
  • waste water filtrate cake and carbonate
  • minerals, clarification flocs, calcium sulfates
  • recovered wall board-sheet rock gypsums
  • paper mill sludge
  • construction-demolition debris c & d
  • asphaltic by products
  • red mud-bauxite residuals
  • paint residue, plastic chips, tire crumb and numerous aggregates derived from grinding, chipping and hammermill recyclables.
  • waste stream fines from grinding and separations
  • bag  house-filtrate residues
  • colloidal particles and solids
  • particulate media from cleaning-washing operations
  • conditioned bio solids
  • remediated contaminated soils from brown field sites.
  • soils from underground storage tank removal (UST's)
  • volcanic ash
  • foundry sands
   
EcoBlocks are formed at rapid production rates up to 1000 blocks per hour. Hyper compaction pressures terminally bond fine minerals to a fused non shrink state.
    

Technology Transfer-Licensing Program

Zeller International provides on site training on a consulting fee basis. Technology Transfer fees and exclusive territorial licensing programs are keyed to time frame and overall project scaling.
Terms and conditions are flexible and often include through put commissions on processed materials.
   

Code Approved

EcoBlocks have met municipal codes and have a demonstrated performance record for storms, flood plain and wind shear exposures.
    

Easy Fast Construction

EcoBlocks assemble rapidly as a mortorless dry stack wall system to achieve structural walls for multiple story structures or ancillary applications which include:
  • Cisterns for rain water and potable water below grade tanks
  • Secondary containment fuel tank walls. Including berms, dikes and geotechnical soil stabilization for erosion control of beaches, harbors and run off. Storm water catch basins. Dry wells-cesspool chambers.
  • Containment cells for agricultural wastes. Fish farm-maricultural-aquaculture pools-pens and water purification.
    

Inexpensive and Affordable

EcoBlocks average cost per 7" X 12" X 4" block averages 50 cents each on a global basis. "Tipping Fee"- offset inducements often lower costs to 25 cents each.
   

Fast Facilitation-Mobilization

An EcoBlocks manufacturing facility sets up rapidly without expensive equipment. EcoBlocks equipment is made to order and costs $25,000 to $250,000 per block making machine. each machine is made to order and can be set up with gas engines or an electric motor unit complete with a microprocessor-on board computer.
Supplemental handling blending- stacking machinery is readily available on a lease-rental or purchase basis from defined sources.
   

Training-Support Engineering Services

Zeller International provides "on site" in the field training. The EcoBlocks process is a user friendly "hands on" technology enabling anyone anywhere to form building blocks.
From developing nations using indigenous materials to industrial plants recovering residuals from processing our team works closely with clients to successfully manufacture stable-water proof EcoBlocks.
A classroom training program entails 3 to 5 days of instruction with an additional 5 days of field training.
   

Demonstrated History

EcoBlocks are scientifically proven! Extensive lab reports, field tests and code approvals are in place. Physical properties are higher than concrete blocks!! EcoBlocks are referenced as cement masonry units (CMU) due to concretion-mineralization reaction. Each EcoBlocks chemistry is functionalized as a pozzolanic function-EcoBlocks get harder over a brief period of time.
   

Soils-Earthen Adobe Theory

EcoBlocks are often formed similarly to cast adobe blocks. EcoBlocks are however a faster production system but can surpass wet mix cast adobe muds. Fibers i.e. straw, flax, rice hulls and numerous natural aggregates such as sea shells have been used to form attractive looking blocks. Screened soils and ash residuals can utilized.
  

Federally Recognized

EcoBlocks are approved by the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers for infrastructure-engineering applications. Numerous dredged sediments and river-port bottoms have been recovered and used to manufacture EcoBlocks for port warehousing-manufacturing facilities and boundary walls.
Continuing R & D with the Corp includes artificial reefs, bullet back stops at military bases, defensive fortifications, barracks fuel bunkers, explosives-ammunition storage magazines and a range of clean up-reuse projects.
   

Testing-Lab Support Services

Zeller Internationals environmental group provides material characterization studies to define mix design blends. Each client remits 4 to 6 five gallon pails of the specimen material for lab analysis. Fees for testing are low and immediate.
Ancillary admixtures, reagents, in situ additives surface sealants-waterproofing agents and accessory chemicals
Zeller International provides a proprietary selection of non toxic responsive chemistries to remediate organics. Fixate-stabilize polyaromatic hydrocarbons and contaminated substances.
Enhance durability and eliminate erosion. efflorescence and instability.
environmentally compliant and effective, our synergistic chemistries provide degradement protection, waterproofing, early property maturation, accelerated hardness and attractive finishes from textured stuccos to bas relief artistic murals in relief.
  

Energy Conservation

EcoBlocks lower utility bills due to thermal mass factor. In effect EcoBlocks structures function on a thermal fly wheel principle. Our energy calculations demonstrate return on investment. EcoBlocks buildings require less heating-cooling.
 
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