Alkali-Activated Materials in Environmental Technology Applications

1. Alkali-activated materials in environmental technology: Introduction
History and background
terminology
motivation to use alkali-activated materials for environmental technology
scope of the book

2. Chemistry and materials science of alkali-activated materials
Composition and structure of alkali-activated materials
raw materials (precursors, activators)
low and high calcium systems
reactions and mechanisms during preparation
fresh and hardened properties from the viewpoint of environmental technology

3. Fabrication of alkali-activated materials for environmental applications
Highly porous alkali-activated materials
Material requirements; different manufacturing methods to obtain porous materials (direct foaming, sacrificial template, additive manufacturing etc.); granulation
Surface chemistry of alkali-activated materials and how to modify it
Description of surface chemistry (functional groups, zeta potential, surface potential), possibilities to modify surface (for example silanol chemistry)
Controlling alkalinity and leaching of alkali-activated materials
diffusion of alkali cations and hydroxyl anions from alkali-activated materials
what practical methods there are to control pH increase in water
leaching of potentially hazardous elements from alkali-activated materials when using industrial side-products as raw materials

4. Water and wastewater treatment
Alkali-activated materials as ion-exchangers and adsorbents
Review of water pollutants removed by alkali-activated ionexchangers and adsorbents
comparison to other materials
regeneration
cost evaluation
Summary on reported case studies and bench or pilot-scale experiments
Alkali-activated materials as photocatalysts for aqueous pollutant degradation
Review of employing alkali-activated materials as photocatalysts for organic pollutant degradation in water
reported case studies and bench or pilot-scale experiments
Alkali-activated membrane and filter materials
High-pressure membranes; granular filter materials
potential to use as permeable reactive barrier
Summary on reported case studies and bench or pilot-scale experiments
Alkali-activated materials in passive pH control of wastewater treatment and anaerobic digestion
Optimizing prolonged alkali diffusion
review of existing studies
Summary on reported case studies and bench or pilot-scale experiments

5. Air pollution control
Alkali-activated materials in catalytic air pollution control
Photocatalysis in air pollution control context
self-cleaning materials
potential for exhaust emission control
Summary on reported case studies and bench or pilot-scale experiments
Adsorption of gaseous pollutants
Adsorption of volatile organic compounds and CO2 by alkali-activated materials
Summary on reported case studies and bench or pilot-scale experiments

6. Antimicrobial alkali-activated materials
Modification methods to obtain antimicrobial properties; review of current applications and existing studies

7. Solidification/stabilization of hazardous wastes by alkali activation
summary of solidification/stabilization mechanisms and waste types that can be immobilized by alkali-activation
Summary on reported case studies and bench or pilot-scale experiments

8. Alkali-activated materials as catalysts in chemical processes
Review of alkali-activated catalysts and catalyst supports beyond water and gas purification processes
Summary on reported case studies and bench or pilot-scale experiments

9. Life cycle analysis (LCA) of alkali-activated materials in comparison to conventional materials in environmental technology
Summary of LCAs conducted in the literature about alkali-activated materials and their comparison to, for example, LCAs of synthetic zeolites, high-temperature ceramics, or organic polymer membrane

10. Barriers and drivers for commercialization of alkali-activated materials in environmental technology
Analysis of techno-economical barriers and drivers for commercialization; legislation and standardization; case studies from companies