Background Romanian industry generates significant volumes of waste – the Turceni power station alone dumps some 700 000 tonnes/yr of fly ash; the Slobozia oil drilling company dumps some 100 000 tonnes/yr of drilling fluids; and the Bals City metallurgical facility dumps some 5 000 tonnes/yr of slag. In Gorj county, there are two large lignite-fired power stations. These generate significant quantities of ash and have a major impact on the environment as a result. Objectives The project aims to obtain ceramic composites from fly-ash and building materials from drilling fluids and slag, and to use them in the impermeable layers of roads. It aims to demonstrate the viability of a novel technology for the recycling of fly ash, drilled solid wastes and steelmaking slag. Specific objectives are to: Select and fully characterise the types of wastes (fly ash, drilled solid wastes, metallurgical slag); Identify potential secondary raw materials that could replace primary ones; Formulate optimal methods and technologies for processing the target wastes; Design and build an improved waste processing pilot plant; Test at pilot scale the process for manufacturing ceramic composites from secondary materials; and Demonstrate that the use of natural resources and energy can be significantly reduced by harnessing the potential of the target waste streams, thereby achieving sustainable waste management. Expected results: The project will adapt an existing pilot unit to demonstrate the viability of recycling wastes into high added value products; this new innovation will be disseminated across the EU to encourage its widespread use. In addition, the project will: Reduce the amount of waste going to landfill; Save natural resources by recycling fly-ash, oil drilled wastes and metallurgical slag instead of using raw minerals; Save energy with respect to traditional processes for producing building materials; Reduce the carbon footprint associated with the production of building materials, and reduce the energy consumed in conventional raw materials recovery (clay, clay sand, feldspar, etc.); Recover and recycle a total of 50% of the target wastes; Demonstrate that it is possible to replace with fly ash 30-50% of the natural sand used in manufacturing ceramic products; Show that 100 000 tonnes/yr of well-drilled solids (cake) could be used to manufacture bricks in place of clay. Since preliminary milling is not required, this would result in a 24 000 tonne/yr reduction in CO2 emissions and cost savings at building materials factories; and Demonstrate that some 500 000 tonnes/yr of metallurgical slag (with 50% CaO – quicklime - content an average) could be used in cement manufacturing, replacing 270 000 tonnes/yr of quicklime extraction and saving 280 000 tonnes/yr in CO2 emissions.