The mission of this project is in sync with other UN 2030 Agenda Goals. A widespread implementation of the project’s output will mean a significant reduction of the environmental impact of cities, especially when it comes to carbon capture and storage as well as the use of municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ashes in the production of new construction materials.

Also, recycling of glass packaging waste glass rejects, municipal solid waste bottom ashes and electric arc furnace slag by including them in a stable and value-added construction material, rather than landfilling them, contributes to the development of a circular economy for wastes thereby minimising adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

Natural resources will be saved and applied more efficiently with the use of the proposed wastes in the production of binders that aim to replace cement as well as the use of construction and demolition wastes as natural aggregate replacement.

Finally, the wide-scale use of carbon-cured alkali-activated calcium aluminosilicate wastes, instead of cement, as a permanent CO2 storage system, will directly tackle one of the greatest causes of climate change.

Title: Carbon capture: Performance enhancing CO2-based curing of fully recycled alkali-activated concrete

Starting date: January 2022

Duration: 18 months (prolonged for 6 more months)

Total funding: € 49 854

Funded by: FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Ref. EXPL/ECI-EGC/0288/2021)

Progress reports: 9

Publications in international journals: 9

Communications in scientific meetings: 8

Book chapters: 1

Title: Circularity in the Built Environment: Bilateral cooperation between Norway and Portugal

Date: 30 August 2023

Location: Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon