Waste-Transforming Initiatives

The GEORIS project, coordinated by Greek engineering firm Enalos and supported by a €680,000 grant from EIT RawMaterials, validates a geopolymerization technology that repurposes industrial byproducts, such as bauxite residue and steel slag, into durable pavement blocks. During its pilot phase in Greece, the consortium, which includes KU Leuven, SIJ Acroni, and Slovenia’s National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG), processed four tonnes of bauxite residue to pave a 250 m² parking area. The trial demonstrated functional performance under real-world conditions and achieved up to 25 percent cost savings compared with traditional cement-based solutions, underscoring the project’s potential to divert harmful waste streams from landfills and foster circular economy practices in the raw materials sector.

Building on the pilot’s success, GEORIS deploys a modular 40 ft production unit capable of on-site conversion of various aluminosilicate wastes, including fly ash, copper slag, and mine tailings, into construction materials and catalytic powder. The technology promises approximately 30 percent lower CO₂ emissions than comparable processes and aims to divert 20 tonnes of waste during the project, scaling to 800 tonnes annually by 2030. Beyond pavement blocks and fire-resistant panels produced in Greece, Slovenia, and Poland, the project seeks to commercialize its catalytic powder as a partial substitute for platinum group metals in automotive catalysts, targeting 50–60 percent material savings and engaging over 40 stakeholders across public authorities, waste providers, and construction firms to facilitate full-scale market adoption.

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