26 Feb Adsorbent materials and applications for urban furnishing
Opigeo collaborates with BELLITALIA SRL in the development of concrete for urban furnishing using recycled aggregates. A brand named EKONYA (https://www.ekonya.it) was created to promote the environmental sustainability of the material and raise customer awareness of its benefits.
The latest developments in material technology provided by OPIGEO have revealed an additional functionality of the concrete: its adsorption capacity for heavy metals. Thanks to this new feature, BELLITALIA in 2024 submitted and won a PNRR-funded project called EKONYA, in collaboration with three other partners.
The funding is managed by the Ecosystem Innovation Consortium iNEST – “Ecosystem of Innovation”, aimed at extending the benefits of digital technologies to the main areas of specialization in North-East Italy.
More information: https://www.consorzioinest.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Slides-progetto-EKONYA_Spoke4.pdf
EKONYA technology is characterized by filtration capabilities, ensured by a specially developed hydraulic binder matrix. This binder, designed within a circular economy model, is an advanced composite material with controlled micro-macro porosity. It incorporates nanometric fillers and additives to ensure:
- dimensional stability during setting
- improved rheology
- controlled setting time
- enhanced mechanical and thermal properties.
The binder is based on an alumino-silicate geopolymer, obtained through condensation polymerization. Geopolymers belong to the category of chemically bonded ceramics, exhibiting unique properties such as high hardness, thermal stability, and chemical resistance.
The final nanostructured microstructure consists of nanoprecipitates (5-15 nm) separated by anopores (3-10 nm) with a specific surface area of 20-140 m²/g.
Due to its ion exchange capacity, the structure can incorporate transition metal ions or acidic (protonic) sites, allowing the functionalization of the binder matrix with specific active sites for catalytic processes.
In the treatment of water contaminated by heavy metals and organic molecules (e.g., pesticides), the matrix can effectively capture pollutants through filtration processes.
