Towards the valorization of Cumbre Vieja volcanic ash – Production of alternative cements

One of the most critical issues after a volcanic eruption is managing damaged infrastructure and human health. This study aims to promote the valorization of non-weathered volcanic ash (VA) from the Cumbre Vieja volcano (La Palma Island – Spain) in the production of alternative cements. A detailed study related to the characterization of VA was performed, and its use in the production of alkali-activated cements is proposed. Promising results, achieving about 80 MPa in compression, indicated that using a cementing material based on VA could be a fascinating solution for the VA valorization and the reconstruction of the affected infrastructure of La Palma Island, especially in producing prefabricated elements.