By-BM · By-products for Building Materials
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-04-25 → 2018-04-24
- EU contribution
- €195,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
By-products for Building Materials
What is the problem/issue being addressed? The construction industry is critical to innovation and employment in the EU economy, providing 20 million direct jobs and about 10 % of the EU’s GDP. The new types of synthetic materials incorporation industrial by-products hampered by public health concerns related to immobilisation of potentially toxic compounds and in particular radiation exposure from natural isotope content. The By-BM project is focusing on the investigation of the safe reuse possibilities of secondary raw materials in construction material industry. Why is it important for society? The specific problem for the use of by-products is that it may contain, an elevated concentration of Naturally Occurring Radionuclides (NOR) which can significantly contribute to the received radiation dose of residents. This occurs via two exposure pathways: 1. External exposure directly caused by the emitted gamma radiation from the NOR present in the building materials. 2. The internal exposure is due to the inhalation of radon isotopes (Rn-222 radon). After inhalation of radon, predominantly the radon progenies are responsible for the irradiation of the cells of the pulmonary system. Radon is estimated to cause between 3-14% of all lung cancers. In Europe, this corresponds to 20,000 deaths every year. What are the overall objectives? Progressing the state-of-the-art across several scientific disciplines, the primary objectives of the By-BM project in co-operation between the host, the secondment (NuTeC, UHasselt, Belgium), scientific programs (COST Action TU1301, NORM4Building) are the following to provide innovative solutions in reuse and methodology of by-products for geopolymers. The By-BM project is developing environmentally-safe geopolymers comply with necessary safety standards.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The construction industry is critical to innovation and employment in the EU economy, providing 20 million direct jobs and about 10 % of the EU’s GDP. The EU’s Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) has set an ambitious target of at least 70% of construction and demolition waste (CDW) to be reused, recycled or undergo materials recovery by 2020. Coupled with the challenges of depletion of raw materials and demand for low carbon material resources, new eco-innovative building materials (BM) are urgently required. Geopolymers are alternative low-carbon binders and can be produced through the reuse of industrial wastes. Although economically viable, market uptake and widespread application of these new types of synthetic materials is currently hampered by public health concerns related to immobilization of potentially toxic compounds and in particular radiation exposure from natural isotope content. The EU’s Council Directive (2013/59/Euratom) has laid down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionizing radiation including BMs. The By-BM project will develop innovative, environmentally-safe geopolymer building materials – which integrate waste materials, yet comply with necessary safety standards. Inactive leaching studies will also be carried out to investigate the possibilities of By-BM geopolymers in Radioactive Waste Cementation. The project brings together a leading research group in geopolymer concrete (Host – Queen’s University Belfast) together with secondments to the Nuclear Technological Centre (Hasselt University) and the JRC Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements. The unique skills of the researcher will be required to exploit and innovate upon the research expertise of the participating institutes. The Fellow will extend his radioecology related experience whilst developing new skills in low carbon footprint geopolymers (and their replacement of traditional building materials, especially cements).
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST · BELFASTCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union