May 19-23, 2025
Hotel Korpilampi
Espoo, Finland
About This Conference
This is the fourth in a successful series of ECI conferences on the theme of materials produced by alkali or acidic activation of different aluminosilicate, iron silicate (and other) sources and their applications. The 1st conference in this series was held in Hernstein, Austria in 2015, followed by the 2nd in Tomar, Portugal in 2018. The 3rd one was delayed to 2023 due the pandemic situation and was organized in Cetraro, Italy. All the previous editions have been attended by 50 to 80 participants from at least 20 countries from all over the world. The ECI format, gathering the scientific community in a dedicated location to facilitate networking and strengthen the identity of the group where more expert personalities from all over the globe pass their experience to the younger researchers, serves as a forum for discussions on the valorisation of these cold consolidated materials which can be applied to numerous industrial process. The conference has historically brought together different fields of expertise from academia and industry, providing a knowledge platform to share and discuss the upcoming challenges and opportunities in the world of building materials, sustainable routes to ceramics, facile membrane preparation, etc. After the successful 3rd edition in 2023, we have been encouraged to reduce the time between editions as the number of activities going on worldwide are really numerous. In the present edition we are honoured to welcome high-level speakers from globally recognised organisations and companies.
Previous Conference Program [PDF]
Topics of This Conference
The conference aims to cover a large number of topics, from the scientific and technical relevance of alkali/acid activated materials to their environmental and economic impacts. Researchers in academia as well as in industry are making good progress in the industrial application of ultra-low emissions concrete.
Such types of binders are now feasible technical solutions enabling the application of geopolymers and related materials, to reduce waste and emissions in ceramic and cement manufacturing. New pathways of synthesis have arisen that do not involve the addition of highly concentrated alkaline solutions, and appear more sustainable and affordable. We need to rethink the supply chain of precursor materials, the basic understanding of the microstructure correlation with durability studies and the pathway to additional future commercial applications. Central to this is the ability to identify the opportunities where alkali / acid-activated materials may be the best available solution – and conversely also the applications that are best filled by different types of materials – to provide fit-for-purpose sustainable applications in service of modern society.
Attendees are invited to discuss and share their most updated findings in the fields of:
- Building materials (including paving, foundations, blocks, pipes, tiles);
- Exploitation of local and sustainable sources as aluminosilicate or alkali components;
- Understanding and controlling leaching of alkalis and other potential contaminants from the binder structure;
- Mechanical characteristics of alkali-activated and geopolymer concretes;
- International and national standardisation and regulation;
- Mix formulation and the role of additives in the fresh paste;
- Novelties in the fabrication of foams, granules, disks, or 3D-printed lattices;
- Post-fabrication machining of geopolymer components (drilling, cutting, grinding, surface polishing, coating);
- Modifications of geopolymers (ion exchange, introduction of transition metals, development of composites, addition of organic functional groups to the surface, addition of graphene derivatives, carbon nanotubes, cellulose nanofibers);
- Sustainable and low-cost provision of activators;
- Appropriate and accurate durability testing methods and validation of long-term performance;
- Environmental performance assessment (life cycle inventory data, specific assessment protocols, service life and recyclability in emissions calculations, accurate and realistic benchmarking against established solutions);
- Application in adsorption of various soluble compounds (toxic metal(loid)s, nutrients, organic dyes, radioisotopes, water hardness, and rare earth elements);
- Applications in catalysis (heterogeneous catalysts, catalyst supports in oxidative wastewater
- treatment, air pollution control, chemical processes);
- Environmental technology and biomedical applications (pH regulating materials for anaerobic digestion, biofilm carrier media for bioreactors, water filtration and disinfection, coating material to develop controlled-release fertilizers, plant substrate, controlled-release drug delivery, antibacterial surfaces);
- Energy related applications (electrode materials for structural supercapacitors and microbial fuel cells, solid-state battery electrolyte, dielectric materials for antennas).
- The further success of this conference series will represent a step toward meeting the global material needs of society with significantly reduced energy requirements as well as ecological impacts.
Conference Organization
Conference Co–Chairs
Cristina Leonelli
Universita’ degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy
Juho Yliniemi
University of Oulu, Finland
W.M. Kriven
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
John L. Provis
Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland
Call for Abstracts
Submission of Abstracts
One-page abstracts should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than the deadlines noted below. The abstract should include both the significance of the research as well as results that will be discussed to allow a scientific assessment of the work by the organizers. Please indicate if the abstract is for an oral or poster presentation. Only a limited number of oral presentation slots are available. Thus all submissions for oral presentations will be considered for both oral and poster.
Deadlines
Abstracts for oral presentation: February 14, 2025
Abstracts for poster presentations: February 14, 2025
Abstract acceptance deadline: March 7, 2025
All abstracts should be submitted electronically and submissions must follow the template: docx or doc.
Special Issue: IJCES
In addition to the Abstract brochure, a selection of full manuscripts will be published as a special issue of the International Journal of Ceramics Engineering and Science which will publish open access at a reduced publication charge.
For inquiries on the publication charges, please contact Jonathon Foreman, Managing Editor, at jforeman@ceramics.org.
Submit your manuscript at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijces.
International Scientific Committee
Cyril Attwell, ARC Innovations, Benoni, South Africa
Maria Chiara Bignozzi, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Nuno M.C. Cristelo, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Portugal
Paolo Colombo, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Claudio Ferone, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Naples, Italy
Ana Paula Kirchheim, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
João António Labrincha Batista, University of Aveiro, Portugal
Tero Luukkonen, Oulu University, Oulu, Finland
Angel Palomo, Institute of Construction Science Eduardo Torroja (IETcc), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
Yiannis Pontikes, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Wouter Schroeyers, Hasselt University, Belgium
Jannie S.J. van Deventer, Zeobond Group, Australia
Previous Conferences
Geopolymers
May 24-29, 2015
Herrnstein, Austria
Conference Chairs:
Cristina Leonelli, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
Aldo R. Boccaccini, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
Waltraud M. Kriven, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
Arie van Riessen, Curtin University, Australia
Alkali Activated Materials and Geopolymers: Versatile Materials Offering High Performance and Low Emissions
May 27 – June 1, 2018
Tomar, Portugal
Conference Chairs:
John L. Provis, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
Waltraud M. Kriven, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
Cristina Leonelli, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
Aldo Boccaccini, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
Arie Van Riessen, Curtin University, Australia
Alkali Activated Materials and Geopolymers: Sustainable Construction Materials and Ceramics Made Under Ambient Conditions
May 28 – June 2 2023
Cetraro (Calabria), Italy
Conference Chairs:
Waltrude M. Kriven, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
Cristina Leonelli, Universita’ degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy
John L. Provis, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
Aldo R. Boccaccini, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
General Information About ECI
Engineering Conferences International (ECI) is a not-for-profit, global engineering conferences program, originally established in 1962 that provides opportunities for the exploration of problems and issues of concern to engineers and scientists from many disciplines.
The format of the conference provides morning and late afternoon or evening sessions in which major presentations are made. Poster sessions will be scheduled for evening discussion as well. Available time is included during the afternoons for ad hoc meetings, informal discussions, and/or recreation. This format is designed to enhance rapport among participants and promote dialogue on the development of the meeting. We believe the conferences have been instrumental in generating ideas and disseminating information to a greater extent than is possible through more conventional forums.
All participants are expected both to attend the entire conference and to contribute actively to the discussions. The recording/photographing of lectures and presentations is forbidden. As ECI conferences take place in an informal atmosphere, casual clothing is the usual attire.
Smoking is prohibited at ECI conferences and conference functions.