Abstract:
In the era of increasing climatic requirements and changing approaches towards
circular economy (CE), the demand for materials designed with care for the environment
is growing. This idea is especially important in the construction industry, where ordinary
Portland cement (OPC) production emits a large number of greenhouse gases. The main
aim of this article is to demonstrate the possibility of using industrial waste for geopolymer
production according to CE goals, including closing material loops. This work is based on
a critical analysis of the literature and selected case studies. The most important findings
of this article allow us to confirm that the role of industrial waste in the construction
industry is growing and that industrial by-products are valuable sources for geopolymer
production. The development of sustainable materials allows the introduction of closed
loops into production processes by making it possible to reuse materials after the end of
use, which is an important issue in the context of introducing CE into practice, especially in
existing systems.
