Innovative waste valorization for sustainable construction

One of Certimac’s main research areas focuses on the valorization of industrial waste through its reuse in building materials and cement-based composites, replacing binders, natural aggregates, and raw materials.

Over the years, Certimac has characterized and tested a wide variety of industrial waste materials from different sources and sectors—ceramics, agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and more. The innovative mixtures developed with secondary raw materials are evaluated according to the main international standards and benchmarked against conventional products on the market.

Certimac supports companies seeking sustainable solutions for waste management, helping them turn a disposal cost into an opportunity. At the same time, it provides the construction industry, designers, and public authorities with sustainable building materials, enabling a win-win strategy for both industry and the environment.

In this field, Certimac has participated—and continues to be involved—in several regional projects, including MATER_SOS, MImeSIS, and REWINDS.

REWINDS
Within the REWINDS project, Certimac is contributing to the development of innovative strategies for the recycling and reuse of industrial waste in the construction sector. The project aims to create new circular economy models by integrating selected waste streams into building materials, while also assessing their environmental, technical, and economic impacts. Certimac provides scientific and technical expertise for the characterization, performance validation, and industrial scalability of new eco-compatible mixtures, supporting the transition toward more sustainable construction practices.

MImeSIS
The project aims to develop Smart, Sensored, Sustainable, and Innovative Materials for the restoration of historic masonry elements—including mortars, plasters, bricks, adhesives, and reinforcement systems. A key innovation is the integration of embedded sensors into these materials, enabling them to monitor parameters such as temperature, moisture, delamination, and pH—key indicators of structural decay. These intelligent materials are fully compatible with historic buildings and capable of performing self-diagnosis and alerting occupants in real time when maintenance is needed, thus allowing timely and minimally invasive interventions. All solutions are validated both in the lab and on real heritage buildings.

MATER_SOS
This project targeted the construction sector with the goal of developing and prototyping innovative building materials with low environmental impact. The project focused on reformulating traditional construction materials by integrating industrial waste from the regional supply chain—such as ceramic powder, clam shells, and recycled rubber from tires—into the production process.
As a result, over 60% of traditional non-renewable raw materials were replaced with recycled waste, achieving significant reductions in the use of natural resources, atmospheric emissions, landfill waste, and production costs—while also enhancing the performance of the final products.