Every year, mines and quarries pile up mountains of leftover rock and dust — making up 27% of all waste in the EU. Instead of dumping it, REMINE figured out how to mix this waste with special binders called geopolymers to create construction products like wall panels, precast blocks, and ready-mix materials. Think of it as recycling old mining rubble into new building blocks. An international team of universities and companies across 6 countries built prototypes to prove it works.
The construction industry depends heavily on virgin raw materials like sand, gravel, and Portland cement — resources that are becoming scarcer, more expensive, and more regulated. Meanwhile, mining and quarrying operations across Europe generate 27% of all EU waste, paying significant disposal costs. There is no widely available technology to economically convert this mining waste into standard construction products at scale.
The project built prototype geopolymeric construction products — including structural panels, precast elements, and ready-mix formulations — all made from recycled mining and quarrying waste. Across 17 deliverables, the team demonstrated that waste-based geopolymer binders can replace conventional cement in multiple construction applications.
If you are a precast manufacturer looking to cut raw material costs and differentiate your product line — this project developed geopolymeric structural panels and precast elements made from mining waste. The prototypes showed these waste-based materials can substitute conventional cement-based products, potentially lowering your input costs while giving you a green-labeled product line.
If you are a mining or quarrying operator spending heavily on waste disposal and landfill fees — this project turned that exact waste stream into a revenue source. Mining and quarrying wastes represent 27% of EU total waste from economic activities. Instead of paying to dump it, you could sell it as raw material for geopolymeric construction products.
If you are a construction company chasing BREEAM or LEED certifications and need low-carbon material alternatives — this project created ready-mix and in-situ geopolymeric applications from recycled mining waste. These materials reduce both the demand for virgin raw materials and the carbon footprint compared to traditional Portland cement products.
The project data does not include specific pricing or cost comparisons. However, the core input material is mining waste — which is currently a disposal cost — so raw material expenses could be significantly lower than virgin aggregates and Portland cement. Actual production costs would depend on processing, binder chemistry, and local waste availability.
The project created prototypes for structural panels, precast elements, and ready-mix applications, but operated under a €567,000 MSCA-RISE budget focused on research staff exchanges rather than industrial scale-up. Scaling to commercial production would require further engineering, equipment investment, and certification testing.
The consortium of 11 partners across 6 countries jointly developed this work. IP arrangements would be governed by the consortium agreement between Universidade da Beira Interior (coordinator) and its partners. The 3 industrial SME partners in the consortium may already hold commercialization rights for specific applications.
Based on available project data, the project developed structural panels and precast products, which implies structural testing was part of the work. However, full CE marking and compliance with EN construction product standards would need to be verified with the project team. Regulatory approval is a key next step for market entry.
The project ended in December 2018 and reached prototype stage. Moving from prototype to market-ready product typically requires pilot production, certification testing, and regulatory approval. Based on available project data, commercialization would depend on industry partners taking the prototypes through these remaining stages.
The project targeted mining and quarrying wastes broadly, which represent 27% of EU total waste generated from economic activities and households. The specific waste types tested would need to be confirmed with the research team, as geopolymer chemistry can vary depending on the mineral composition of the waste.
The project closed in December 2018. The consortium included 7 universities with deep expertise in materials science and structural engineering. Universidade da Beira Interior in Portugal coordinated the work and would be the first contact point for technical follow-up or collaboration.
The REMINE consortium brings together 11 partners from 6 countries including both EU members and the US, giving it a broad geographic reach. With 7 universities and 3 industrial SMEs (27% industry ratio), the project is heavily research-driven. The 3 SME partners provide a direct link to construction and materials markets, though the dominance of academic institutions and the MSCA-RISE funding mechanism (designed for staff exchanges, not product development) means commercialization will require additional industry investment. The coordinator, Universidade da Beira Interior in Portugal, is an academic institution — a business looking to adopt this technology would benefit from connecting with the industrial SME partners who are closer to market application.
Universidade da Beira Interior (Portugal) — contact through university research office or project website
Want to explore using mining waste-based construction materials in your operations? SciTransfer can connect you with the REMINE research team and help evaluate fit for your specific waste streams and product needs.
