Current and potential contribution of cramic technology achiving sustainable development

The role of ceramics technology in sustainable development is discussed. Ceramics technology is contributing to the remediation and cleanup of pollution and has an important role in developing new reuse and recycling options for many wastes. These waste materials are used in high-volume applications in low-technology materials used in road construction, roof tile, cements and concretes, and house brick applications in which they can contribute significant savings in energy consumption. Their use will be extended where economics or legislative drives are present. There will be increasing use of wastes as aggregate in bound and unbound civil engineering applications. In addition, cost-effective vitrification technologies will evolve for particularly problematic hazardous wastes, which will make them inert and beneficially reusable based on plasma or cold-crucible melting technologies.