This study focuses on the synthesis at a pilot plant scale of zeolitic material obtained from the coal fly ashes of the Teruel and Narcea power plants in Spain. After the optimisation of the synthesis parameters at laboratory scale, the Teruel and Narcea fly ashes were selected as low and high glass fly ashes. The pilot plant scale experiments were carried out in a 10 m3 reactor of Clariant SA (Barcelona, Spain). The results allowed obtaining 1.1 and 2.2 tonnes of zeolitic material with 40 and 55% of NaP1 content, in two single batch experiments of 24 and 8 hours, for Teruel and Narcea fly ashes, respectively. The cation exchange capacities (CEC) of the final product reached 2.0 and 2.7 meq g-1 for Teruel and Narcea zeolitic material, respectively, which are very close to the usual values reached by the high quality natural zeolitic products. Finally, with the aim of testing possible applications of the commercial NaP1-IQE and pilot plant NaP1-Narcea zeolitic products in water decontamination, efficiency for metal uptake from waste waters from electroplating baths was investigated.We prepared this article in memory of Francesc Calvet who used to teach to some of us at the University of Barcelona. He was a very good teacher and scientist, but aside from his distinguished scientific contribution we will remember him with gratitude and affection for his endearing human qualities, his cheerful personality and his kindness. The present study was supported by the BRITE-EURAM Program from the 4th Framework of R&D of the European Union (SILEX, BRPR-CT98- 0801) and by the Spanish CICYT (AMB99-1147-C02-02 and REN 2002-04055-C02-02). We would also like to express our gratitude to the power generation companies ENDESA and Unión FENOSA for supplying the fly ash samples, to Clarian, S.A. for allowing the use of the pilot plant reactor and to IQE SA for providing the pure commercial zeolite. We are also grateful to Dr. A.I. Karayigit and to an anonymous reviewer for their useful comments.Peer reviewed