The 2nd RECOVER Matchmaking Event “Iron-rich Geopolymers Today” took place on 27th November 2019 at Metallo Belgium, Beerse. 93 participants from 47 organisations had the opportunity to experience innovative ideas and processes towards the introduction of building materials, produced from secondary resources, into the market. The Event was dedicated on the valorisation of Metallo Belgium N.V. Koranel® product.
An installation of design objects and building products, made out of Koranel®, was presented. Each exhibited object was connected with a specific application for building materials, or with an innovative process, combining metallurgical processes (the origin of the precursor) with building material development processes.
The exhibition introduced a new perspective to see building products and their functionalities and to address niche markets, as a first approach before launching building products onto the market, in the forthcoming era of sustainable constructions.
Dedicated workshops presented the technology of inorganic polymers for the production of building materials (i.e. hybrid cements and porous building products). The participants had the opportunity to get familiar with the inorganic polymerisation technology, and see the easiness to adopt the technology in exciting building materials’ production facilities.
The first-of-a-kind modular and mobile production unit of RECOVER (for the case study of Cu slag) was presented. The unit addresses the needs of utilization of local resources, operation in remote areas, production for niche markets, and aspires to raise awareness of the public bodies and general public for the valorisation of metallurgical by-products towards the development of sustainable building products.
