SECOND YEAR SCIENTIFIC REPORT OF THE MECAGEOPOLY PROJECT: "MECHANO-CHEMISTRY: AN INNOVATIVE PROCESS IN THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION OF POLY-SIALATE (PS) AND POLY-SILANOXOSIALATE (PSS) GEOPOLYMERIC BINDERS TO BE USED IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION"

The rational of using volcanic tuffs in the second year of the Project to get geopolymeric binders of various types was justified not only by economical and environmental reasons, but also by the need to meet the requirements for a sustainable environment according to the objectives indicated by the EU for the year 2020. In the document issued by the EU Commission, the use of waste materials to make new cementing products characterized by a longer durability and/or low CO2 consumption is one of the main objectives indicated to make a more sustainable environment. In this respect, volcanic tuffs can be advantageous as they are much less expensive than MKA. They are quarried in larger amounts in Italy and substantial portions of them are represented by waste residues from these indutrial activities. Not only the utilization at an industrial scale of volcanic tuffs would have created positive environmental and social benefits by reducing the costs of storage and disposal of wasted material, but also it would become a part of a green economy due to the limited amounts of CO2 required for their production.