GEORIS: Turning industrial waste into sustainable construction materials
GEORIS: Turning industrial waste into sustainable construction materials
At the premises of SIJ Acroni, a leading European steel producer based in Slovenia, GEORIS demonstrates its pavement block production using industrial residues. Photo credit: Gregor Vidmar
Location: Greece, Slovenia, Belgium
Supported through RIS Kava Upscaling Call by EIT RawMaterials
GEORIS, a circular materials consortium supported by EIT RawMaterials, has validated its breakthrough technology to convert environmentally hazardous industrial residues into sustainable construction materials. Instead of sending waste to landfills, the project demonstrates how industrial byproducts such as bauxite residue and steel slag can be transformed into durable, cost-effective pavement blocks and other products.
““The project enabled us to better monitor the materials’ durability under exposure to real environments and working conditions. We successfully validated our concept and upscaled in real life. The support from EIT RawMaterials was critical in making this collaboration possible.”
— Christos Georgopoulos, project lead and chemical engineer at Enalos.
Core Facts
- Led by Enalos (Greece), specialising in tunnelling, mining, and materials
- €680,000 grant awarded by EIT RawMaterials
- Funding enabled Enalos to build a consortium with KU Leuven – renowned university in Belgium; SIJ Acroni – leading steel producer in Slovenia; ZAG – Slovenia’s National Building and Civil Engineering Institute
- Project next step: complete product standardisation under the Construction Products Regulation and expand the technology to other East and Southeast countries in RIS regions
Impact Highlights
- Pilot project in Greece: 4 tons of bauxite residue used to pave a 250m² parking area
- Demonstrated cost savings of up to 25% compared to conventional cement-based blocks
- Over 62% of raw materials in pilot test sourced from SIJ Acroni, a leading steel producer in circular economy practices
