Assessing the environmental impact of recyclable aggregate through life cycle analysis

Amar Shankar S.; Deeksha Chaudhary; Inzimam ul Hassan; Zuleika Homavazir

doi:10.31893/multiscience.2024ss0325

Keywords:

artificial light-weight aggregate

Abstract

All aspects of a product or system's life cycle, from raw materials to disposal extraction, can be evaluated for their effects on the environment using the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) technique. When considering the environmental impact of recyclable aggregate, such as recycled concrete or asphalt, LCA provides valuable insights into the potential benefits and drawbacks. This study used ISO 14044 (LCA) to assess the effects of matter cleared during recycled aggregate (RA) manufacturing (dry/wet) on acidification potential (AP), ozone depletion potential (ODP), global warming potential (GWP), biotic resource depletion potential (ADP), and eutrophication potential (EP). When contrast to recycled aggregate (dry), wet recycled aggregate had an environmental effect that was up to 16–40% greater. This difference was mostly due to the energy consumption of impact crushers during the construction of wet RA. The use of RA was shown to have an environmental impact that was up to double as large as of utilizing natural aggregate (NA), partly because the manufacture of NA was more energy-efficient and simpler. The usage of RA is made from leftover building waste, whereas the utilization of NA depletes natural resources and results in an ADP that is roughly 20 times greater. When compared to artificial “light-weight aggregate (LWA)” although higher than “slag aggregate (SA)”, RA GWP was less in the life cycle effects evaluation.
References
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How to cite

Shankar S., A., Chaudhary, D., ul Hassan, I., & Homavazir, Z. (2024). Assessing the environmental impact of recyclable aggregate through life cycle analysis. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 6, 2024ss0325. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2024ss0325

[1] Abdalla, A., Faheem, A. F., & Walters, E. (2022). Life cycle assessment of eco-friendly asphalt pavement involving multi-recycled materials: A comparative study. Journal of Cleaner Production. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132471

[2] Alqahtani, F. K., Abotaleb, I. S., & Elmenshawy, M. (2021). Life cycle cost analysis of lightweight green concrete utilizing recycled plastic aggregates. Journal of Building Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102670

[3] Anh, L. H., Mihai, F. C., Belousova, A., Kucera, R., Oswald, K. D., Riedel, W., Sekar, N. A., & Schneider, P. (2023). Life cycle assessment of river sand and aggregates alternatives in concrete. Materials. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16052064

[4] Hossain, M. U., & Ng, S. T. (2019). Influence of waste materials on buildings' life cycle environmental impacts: Adopting resource recovery principle. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.11.010

[5] Hou, P., Xu, Y., Taiebat, M., Lastoskie, C., Miller, S. A., & Xu, M. (2018). Life cycle assessment of end-of-life treatments for plastic film waste. Journal of Cleaner Production. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.278

[6] Imtiaz, L., Kashif-Ur-Rehman, S., Alaloul, W. S., Nazir, K., Javed, M. F., Aslam, F., & Musarat, M. A. (2021). Life cycle impact assessment of recycled aggregate concrete, geopolymer concrete, and recycled aggregate-based geopolymer concrete. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413515

[7] Jain, S., Singhal, S., & Pandey, S. (2020). Environmental life cycle assessment of construction and demolition waste recycling: A case of urban India. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104642

[8] Jian, S. M., Wu, B., & Hu, N. (2021). Environmental impacts of three waste concrete recycling strategies for prefabricated components through comparative life cycle assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129463

[9] Santo, J., Pham, A., Stasinopoulos, P., & Giustozzi, F. (2021). Recycling waste plastics in roads: A life-cycle assessment study using primary data. Science of The Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141842

[10] Tahir, F., Sbahieh, S., & Al-Ghamdi, S. G. (2022). Environmental impacts of using recycled plastics in concrete. Materials Today: Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.04.593

[11] Volk, R., Steins, J. J., Kreft, O., & Schultmann, F. (2023). Life cycle assessment of post-demolition autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) recycling options. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106716

[12] Xing, W., Tam, V. W., Le, K. N., & Hao, J. L. (2023). Life cycle assessment of sustainable concrete with recycled aggregate and supplementary cementitious materials. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.106947

[13] Xing, W., Tam, V. W., Le, K. N., & Hao, J. L. (2022). Life cycle assessment of recycled aggregate concrete on its environmental impacts: A critical review. Construction and Building Materials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.125950

[14] Xing, W., Tam, V. W., Le, K. N., Butera, A., Hao, J. L., & Wang, J. (2022). Effects of mix design and functional unit on life cycle assessment of recycled aggregate concrete: Evidence from CO2 concrete. Construction and Building Materials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.128712

[15] Zhang, Y., Luo, W., Wang, J., Wang, Y., Xu, Y., & Xiao, J. (2019). A review of life cycle assessment of recycled aggregate concrete. Construction and Building Materials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.03.078

Abstract

References

How to cite