CIRCULAR MATTERS
It is the first non-ceramic tile made from plant material. With our tiles, we hope to have a positive impact on the construction industry.
© Pieter Dondeyne
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Tiles recycled from corncob waste for the built environment
Circular Matters has developed a process to efficiently convert agro-industrial by-products into high quality materials with a negative CO2 impact. This start-up produces tiles from the insides of corn cobs and other organic waste. It is done by using green electricity. These tiles can be used in the construction sector.
With the support of the City of Antwerp, the start-up set up its own production plant to become independent of external capacity. The investment enabled them to bring their technological innovation in bio-circular materials to the market and to grow the company.
"Our tiles are an alternative to ceramic tiles," says Pieter Dondeyne of Circular Matters. "A ceramic tile needs to be fired at 1,500 degrees. This is normally done with natural gas. Unlike ceramic tiles, our tiles only need a temperature of 150 degrees instead of over a thousand. This makes our process a lot more ecological: these tiles can be fired with electricity from solar energy. Our roof is full of solar panels. We use only plant-based materials and clean chemistry."
