The Institute of Ceramics and Building Materials is the only scientific and research and implementation facility in Poland whose field of operations covers all areas of science and industry related to procession non-metallic raw materials, production technologies for ceramic materials and glass, fire resistant materials, mineral building materials, mineral binders and concrete products.

The Institute of Ceramics and Building Materials develops innovative solutions for disposal and use of waste raw materials in environmentally-friendly technologies of the production of building materials, ceramics and glass. At the same time, the Institute conducts specialized research regarding the environment protection, including waste. It has at its disposal professional, highly experienced scientific and research personnel and high-end specialized testing equipment and a wide array of testing provided.

Our scientific and research interests in particular include the following issues:
•    fly ashes which are coal combustion products and when mixed with other waste of particular properties can be used as a mineral component of the binding material and/or binders used, for instance, in road construction industry.
•    industrial waste management in new technologies such as cullet, kinescope glass, tires and sludge.
•    various types of combustible waste of sufficient calorific value which could be processed and used as secondary fuel (alternative fuel).
•    waste which could be a component in the set of raw materials to make Portland cement clinker or could be used as mineralisers in relevant mixtures
•    e.g. sulfate waste which could be used as a cement setting time regulator, including cements other than the universal purpose ones
•    characteristics of environmental risks related to air pollution and determination of their impact on human health
•    assessment of waste impact on natural environment and humans in accordance with effective legal regulations (e.g. composition and leachability).
•    waste classification pursuant to effective legal regulations into inert, hazardous and non-hazardous waste,
•    construction and demolition waste recycling,
•    evaluation of dust emissions in work environment and methods of their prevention and decrease – developing a method of limiting emissions of particulate and gas pollution from industrial plants, in particular including plants which burn waste fuels,
•    developing coatings reducing abrasion of building materials
•    developing technologies for utilization of fire resistant scrap materials
•    ceramic brake systems for cars which reduce the emission of particles into the atmosphere (smog effect reduction)
•    heating device catalysts used in households
•    mining waste management in the production of plain concrete
•    developing technologies for processing and managing slag created in the process of metallurgical treatment of copper ore in the production of slag cement
•    developing a mineral and ceramic composite for treating underground and technological waters coming from the metal ores mining and enriching processes
•    Poland legalizing asbestos waste disposal. It is estimated that there is 15.5 millions of tonnes of asbestos waste in Poland. ICiMB has the technology to make commercial hydraulic binders from the asbestos waste, but Polish legal regulations do not permit any commercial use of this technology,
•    Developing technologies for the use of (industrial and municipal) waste raw materials, including, but not limited to, developing technologies for the production of autoclaved aerated concrete with fly ashes being the product of coal and biomass combustion and fluidized bed combustion ashes.

Our scientific and research work is conducted in strict collaboration with the industry for evaluation of quality of waste produced and indicating any possible uses of waste materials through modification of those which already exist and development of innovative, environment and human-friendly building materials for their use in:
•    cement and concrete industry
•    ceramics industry
•    road construction industry
•    agriculture
•    degraded land rehabilitation 
•    mining
•    construction industry
•    and other advance production technologies

In our accredited labs we are conducting testing operations for, among other things,:
•    total content of heavy metals and trace elements,
•    leachability of heavy metals and trace elements,
•    hazardous substance emission volumes,
•    harmful impact of waste on humans and natural environment,
•    primary and secondary fuels with the aim to determine CO2 emission coefficient values, including biomass and biogenic coal fractions
•    testing for lead and cadmium release from the surface of glazed tiles
•    testing for lead and cadmium release from the surface of dishes in contact with food
•    conformity tests for waste pursuant to the Regulation of the Polish Minister of Economy of 16th July 2015 on approving waste for landfills

The perfect example of a product fitting into the circular economy system is the CRT Tile created and patented by our scientists. CRT Tile is a glass tile made of waste glass (initially of kinescope glass, but now of various types of waste glass). The tile conforms to all PN-EN-14411:2012 standards for ceramic tiles. It is produced from glass waste and it was even possible to lower their kiln process temperature by min. 200°C as compared to traditional ceramic tiles. This aspect makes the product even more attractive environmentally and economically. Due to its frost resistance the tile can be used as cladding and façade materials.