The removal of Cs (I) ions from aqueous solution was studied using natural diatomite as adsorption materials originated from Rudovci, Serbia. The microstructure of natural diatomite has been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) while the degree of Cs adsorption was evaluated by atomic emission spectroscopy. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) values for natural diatomite was 50 meq/100g. Depending on whether the Cs adsorption occurred in the acidic and alkaline media at a temperature of 298.15 K in acidic media ?G0 values was -12.674 kJ/mol, while in alkaline media ?G0 was - 13.142 kJ/mol and a change of ?S0 to 42.51 J/molK in acidic media and 44.08 J/molK in alkaline medium.

Porous anorthite (CaAl₂Si₂O₈) ceramics, suitable for thermal insulation in buildings, were obtained using waste seashells as a source of CaO, kaolin as a source of Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ and banana peel as a pore former. Changing the volume of banana peel as well as the processing temperature was found to be an effective approach to control the thermo-mechanical properties of the obtained anorthite ceramics. The sintering of powder compacts containing up to 30 wt% banana peel at temperatures ranging from 1100 to 1200 °C resulted in anorthite ceramics possessing up to 45% open porosity, a compressive strength between 13 and 92 MPa, a bulk density between 1.87 and 2.62 g/cm³ and thermal conductivity between 0.097 and 3.5 W/mK. It was shown that waste materials such as seashells and banana peel can be used to obtain cost-effective thermal insulation in buildings.