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Machine that cleans bricks touted as way to cut masonry carbon and waste
Summary
A commercial brick‑cleaning machine demonstrated to MassDEP stakeholders was presented as faster, less destructive than manual cleaning and able to enable reuse on projects while reducing waste and carbon; the presenter said removed mortar is being used by Lafarge.
At a MassDEP joint meeting on C&D markets, Xavier Bourgeault, introduced as general manager of BricklessCyc, demonstrated a blade‑based machine that removes mortar from bricks on job sites and in yards.
Bourgeault said the process is three to five times faster than manual chiseling and substantially reduces breakage. He told attendees that on some projects reuse can cut the masonry carbon footprint by "up to 80%" and that in a Montreal elementary‑school restoration the contractor reduced the brick‑cleaning portion of the masonry bid from about $68,720 to roughly $25,000 after using the machine.
He said the company sells and rents units through a U.S. distributor, offers U.S.‑based service teams and that removed mortar has been diverted to a Lafarge cement partner for reuse in cement manufacture. Bourgeault acknowledged adoption barriers, saying the construction sector has tight budgets, schedules and many stakeholders that make new practices appear risky.
