AboitizPower takes lead in fly ash-to-bricks project

MANILA, Philippines — Aboitiz Power Corp. has taken in partners for its Fly Ash Brick Project, a community-based initiative that will produce high-value construction products made from fly ash, a by-product of its coal power plant, as well as plastics.

AboitizPower said its unit Therma South Inc. (TSI) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with project collaborators Green Antz Builders Inc., United Kaibigan Cooperative (UKC) and Income Credit Cooperative for the project.

Under the partnership, TSI will provide the facilities, fly ash and training support to the communities while social enterprise Green Antz will provide the technology on how to produce the bricks.

Fly ash is one of the naturally-occurring products from the coal combustion process and is a material that is nearly the same as volcanic ash.

Its most common use of fly ash is as a replacement for portland cement used in producing concrete. Concrete made with fly ash is stronger and more durable than traditional concrete. Fly ash concrete is easier to pour, has lower permeability, and resists alkali-silica reaction, which results in a longer service life.

“The realization of this project is a delivered promise. We have made this commitment to our community back during our pre-construction days. This project will not only create livelihood for the community. It will also support the company’s thrust towards environmental stewardship,” TSI vice president and plant manager Valentin Saludes III said.

TSI is the owner and operator of the 300-megawatt (MW) Davao Baseload Power Plant along the borders of Davao City and Davao del Sur.

For workforce, UKC will recruit members solely from TSI’s host communities, Barangays Binugao and Inawayan, and manage day-to-day operations. Income Credit Cooperative, in turn, will provide financial support to set up the business.

Using technology from Green Antz, the bricks produced from the fly ash and plastics are around six times stronger than the typical hollow block. TSI’s fly ash has cementitious properties which makes it a durable material while the shredded plastics act as a thermal insulation.

 Aside from being more durable and insulated, fly ash bricks also cost less than hollow blocks per square meter. Average construction cost using the traditional hollow blocks is around P1,300 per square meter while fly ash bricks cost only around P900.

“The Philippines is the third biggest source of plastics in the ocean. We wanted to create something useful out of these wastes, and that’s where these bricks come in. Each brick contains up to 100 sachets,” Green Antz president Rommel Benig said.

 Green Antz is a social enterprise that has been made eco bricks for various sites in the Philippines, including NET Park and the De La Salle University Campus at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.