The ceramic industry faces increasing pressure to reduce energy consumption, raw material depletion, and CO₂ emissions associated with conventional manufacturing processes. In response, recent research has focused on the use of industrial by-products and waste-derived precursors as sustainable alternatives for ceramic production. Materials such as fly ash, slag, mining residues, and recycled ceramic waste have demonstrated significant potential for developing low-impact ceramic materials with competitive mechanical and thermal properties. Advances in low-carbon processing and microstructural control have further contributed to improving the performance and resource efficiency of sustainable ceramics, making this field increasingly relevant for future industrial applications.

This Research Topic aims to explore recent advances in the development of sustainable ceramic materials using industrial by-products and recycled waste as alternative raw materials. Although significant progress has been achieved, challenges related to phase stability, densification behavior, mechanical performance, and scalability still limit industrial implementation. This collection seeks contributions addressing innovative processing strategies, low-energy manufacturing routes, and microstructural optimization approaches that improve material performance while reducing environmental impact. Particular attention will be given to studies combining sustainable raw materials with advanced characterization techniques to better understand structure–property relationships in ceramic systems.

This Research Topic welcomes articles focused on sustainable ceramic materials produced from industrial by-products and waste-derived precursors. Topics of interest include:

• Recycling and reuse strategies in ceramic manufacturing
• Fly ash-, slag-, and waste-derived ceramic materials
• Low-energy sintering and green processing technologies
• Microstructure–property relationships in sustainable ceramics
• Alternative raw materials for traditional and advanced ceramics

Environmental impact reduction in ceramic processing
Submissions should provide clear scientific advances related to sustainable ceramic processing, characterization, and performance evaluation.

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Sustainable Ceramic Materials from Industrial By-Products and Waste-Derived Precursors