An idea as simple as it is revolutionary: replace the water, well increasingly precious, with milk waste in the production of concrete. Giangavino Muresu, inventor and entrepreneur originally from Ossi, in the province of Sassari, did it. His startup, Milk Brick, born in 2017, gave birth to a new generation of zero -impact construction materials, intended to change the future of sustainable construction.
Each cubic meter of concrete requires about 120 liters of pure water, which become billions if we consider the global scale: over 150 thousand plants in the world, of which 2,400 in Italy. Hence Muresu’s intuition: to use the residual liquids of the dairy industry, a supply chain where 88% of the worked milk is discarded.
The result is surprising: a mixture that maintains the same performance as traditional concrete, but without using drinking water. After years of experimentation, in 2022 Milk Brick reached the level of industrial validation Trl 7, in collaboration with Calcestruzzi spa (controlled by Italcementi, Heidelberg Materials group). In 2024, he touched the TRL 9, which certifies the suitability of the product for large -scale production and diffusion.
Light, resistant and capable of absorbing co₂
“Milk bricks” not only reduce water consumption, but offer a long list of technical benefits:
These blocks, made with the addition of milk fiber extracted from casein, are also antibacterial and breathable, ideal for modern and healthy constructions. On site, less costs, less costs, and zero waste mean: all components can be 100%recycled.
Sardinia is the first European laboratory
The production has already started in Sardinia, thanks to the partnership with Cermal, a Alghero company specialized in prefabricated concrete. The milk comes from Argiolas cheese, one of the main dairy companies of the island, which works over 20 million liters per year. It is the first reality in the world that closes the circle of the circular economy, transforming a waste of construction material.
Frem Group has also come into play for the distribution, which will deal with the exclusive marketing of the Milk Brick in South Sardinia and Milan. Soon they could open new production plants, with the hypothesis of conversion of the former Italcementi cement factory in Scala di Giocca (Sassari) or the Alghero Palacongressi, also thanks to European Funds Life.
Milk Brick’s innovation did not go unnoticed: in 2019 it received the Italcementi special prize at the Gaetano Marzotto National Competition, selected from 5,000 projects. In 2021, Confindustria Connext also rewarded the company for its impact on sustainability and the industrial supply chain.
The goal is to export the model all over the world, offering production licenses in every continent. According to the company’s estimates, even involving only 20% of the existing systems in the next ten years would mean reducing the use of drinking water in construction by billions of liters.
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