Eco-Mortar 2.0 represents a significant breakthrough by evaluating, for the first time, the potential of diabase sludge as a functional filler to replace cement. Furthermore, while existing research often focuses on individual wastes or simple binary combinations, this project successfully validated a complex multi-waste circular economy approach. It demonstrated the technical feasibility of simultaneously valorising by-products from three distinct industrial sectors—stone (sludge), textile (fibres), and forestry (cork)—integrated with advanced materials from the nanotechnology sector (aerogel). The result is a hybrid material in which rigid particles and fibres work synergistically to create a stable, functional mortar that can be applied as a coating or panel.
Main impacts
The project delivered clear environmental and socio-economic benefits.
Environmental: The solution validates a Circular Economy model in which industrial waste replaces non-renewable raw materials (primarily cement). This leads to a reduction in the carbon footprint of construction materials and diverts significant volumes of industrial waste from landfills, minimizing soil and water pollution.
Socio-economic: The enhanced thermal properties of the developed mortar contribute to improved energy efficiency in buildings, helping to reduce household energy consumption. Additionally, the project transforms waste management costs into potential raw material revenues, creating new value chains for the stone and textile sectors.
Future steps and key needs
Although the laboratory-scale prototypes showed successful behaviour, specific steps are required to ensure market uptake and commercial success-
Scaling-up and demonstration: Further research is needed to move from laboratory-scale to industrial pilot tests to validate the production process under real-world conditions.
Standardization: The current regulatory framework for construction materials is often rigid. Updates to standards are necessary to facilitate the certification and acceptance of these new hybrid eco-materials.
