Alkali Activation of Clay-Based Materials
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Clays and Engineered Mineral Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 March 2025 | Viewed by 89
Special Issue Editors
Interests: alkali activation; clay-based materials; nanomaterials; waste materials; circular economy; electron microscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: alkali-activated material; clay-based materials; clay bricks; secondary raw materials; geology; X-ray diffraction
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) can be made from any material containing enough silica and alumina in amorphous content, i.e., from natural resources or secondary raw materials. For the construction industry, AAMs represent a sustainable and resource-efficient alternative to conventional cement-based materials, offering potential environmental benefits.
Just like AAMs, clay can be used to safely store different hazardous substances and is an abundant material that represents waste for different types of mining industries. AAMs can, therefore, be synthesized using various types of clay, but they need to be optimized in terms of strength, durability, sustainability, and their impact on the environment.
Alkali activation is also a useful approach for improving the geomechanical properties of clay-rich materials in geotechnical embankments (e.g., flood embankments). Moreover, alkali activators can improve the mechanical properties of rammed earth construction.
In the scope of these considerations, authors are invited to contribute original research articles as well as review articles focused on the synthesis and characterization of alkali-activated clays (used as sole precursors or additives, calcined or raw), aiming for sustainability in the building industry. Papers dealing with investigating the environmental impact of such AAMs, particularly on soil contamination (i.e., the immobilization of pollutants), are particularly welcome.
Dr. Barbara Horvat
Dr. Lea Žibret
Dr. Sara Tominc
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- alkali activation
- clay
- metakaolin
- waste and raw materials
- building industry sector
- rammed earth construction
- geotechnical embankments
- sustainability
- impact on environment life-cycle assessment
