T25. Advanced minero-chemical characterization and processing of waste for a conscious reuse

Global waste management and treatment are of paramount importance and, as regulated by the latest EU directives, are dependent on waste chemical compositions, physical characteristics, size, organic contents, behavior, and bioavailability of leachable and volatile components, and, last but not least, the way the waste is produced. Recent anthropogenic material research targets many waste categories, from seemingly sterile to eventually metal-rich, such as construction and demolition waste, incineration waste, air pollution control residues, production sludge, e-waste, mining waste, etc.
Given the heterogeneous nature of the waste, a detailed chemical-mineralogical characterization along with geochemical and petrological investigations, including element mobility and leaching behavior, mineral assemblages, and phase interaction, are crucial. Advanced techniques are required, such as high-performance microscopy, spectroscopy and chemo-mineralogy, synchrotron-based observations, and other assays (geotechnical, biological), which are essential for conscious treatment and reuse of waste, in a circularly economy perspective: as filler in bituminous mixtures, concrete, glass-ceramics, geopolymers, extraction of purified metals or other by-products, without additional harm to the environment and the health of living organisms.
This session aims at collecting research contributions dealing with innovative and multidisciplinary works which offer a deep knowledge of waste for a more sustainable reuse.