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Sustainable Built Environment and Its Circular Economy

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 November 2024 | Viewed by 2146

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineer and Architecture, Università degli Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy
Interests: retrofit of building stock; building pathology; green envelope; traditional building technologies

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy
Interests: natural building materials; innovation in construction technologies; retrofit of existing building heritage; durability of materials and building components; sustainable architecture; self-building
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

transitioning to a circular economy is one of the EU’s ambitions, by abandoning the linear take-make-waste economy. Studies show that the circular economy can contribute towards tackling the remaining 45% of greenhouse gas emissions (an estimated reduction of 2 to 4%) that cannot be resolved by transitioning to renewable energy alone. The EU has announced significant investments to reach recycling targets (up to 65% of municipal waste and 70% of packaging by 2035). The principles of the circular economy are also present in Goals 11 and 12 of the 2030 Agenda. They can be well applied in the construction industry, which combines a large consumption of natural raw materials with a high production of CDW (Construction and Demolition Waste). The CDW can be reused by adopting responsible manufacturing/production options, along with the reuse and recycling of the wastes to be incorporated into the system.

Other studies are oriented to the use of bio-based materials because, if produced through a properly controlled and optimised supply chain, these products are non-polluting, reusable, recyclable, and allow the design of solutions with low environmental impact and economic sustainability ensuring, at the same time, satisfactory energy performance and environmental comfort.

By rethinking the way we design our built environment, and using new technologies and processes, we can realise more value from existing assets, keep resources and building materials in the economy, and stop them from becoming waste.

This increased level of ambition requires activity in all sectors and, among all, in R&I.

The Guest Editors are inviting submissions for a Special Issue that addresses technologies and materials for a more sustainable built environment, according to the principles of the circular economy.

In particular, we are seeking original papers that include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Green transition of the construction industry;
  • Environmental sustainability and building design;
  • Re-use strategy for circular economy and building sustainability;
  • Design and characterisation of innovative bio-based, earth-based, recycled, and waste-based building materials;
  • Solid waste recycling and management;
  • Green energy, resources and material for sustainable and resilient development;
  • Renewable energy technologies, applications and integration;
  • Design for disassembling;
  • Life cycle sustainability assessment of building materials and technologies;
  • Innovative technologies for low-energy buildings;
  • Use of nature-based solutions as a strategy for improving sustainability in the built environment;
  • Built environment decarbonization;
  • Sustainability innovations for resource and energy efficiency.

The research presented in this Special Issue could be in line with the European Green Deal program, providing an attractive alternative approach to the decarbonization process of Europe.

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Lo Faro
Dr. Rosa Giuseppina Caponetto
Dr. Francesco Nocera
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • green construction process
  • eco - friendly material
  • circular economy
  • life cycle assessment of building materials
  • recycled and recyclable material
  • decarbonization
  • energy efficiency

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 5364 KiB  
Article
Effect of Concrete Mix Composition on Greenhouse Gas Emissions over the Full Life Cycle of a Structure
by Daniel Wałach and Aleksandra Mach
Energies 2023, 16(7), 3229; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16073229 - 3 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1677
Abstract
As the need to determine and monitor carbon footprints (CFs) in the construction industry grows and given that concrete is a key construction material in this sector, the authors of the article conducted a carbon footprint analysis of 15 different concrete mixtures. The [...] Read more.
As the need to determine and monitor carbon footprints (CFs) in the construction industry grows and given that concrete is a key construction material in this sector, the authors of the article conducted a carbon footprint analysis of 15 different concrete mixtures. The method for determining the carbon footprint of the entire life cycle of concrete was presented in detail. The authors conducted a comparative analysis of the CF for an example structure made of three significantly different concrete strength classes, in addition to determining the CF for 1 m3 of concrete mix. This analysis showed the need to consider the entire structure and the emissivity associated with the consumption of reinforcing steel when selecting the most favorable solution in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The study revealed that the composition of the concrete mix, primarily the type and amount of cement, has the greatest influence on the carbon footprint. Furthermore, the location and geometry of the structure, as well as the number of floors, should also be taken into account when selecting concrete. In the analyzed construction, the life-cycle phases related to the incorporation of the concrete mixture at the construction site (phases A4–A5) and those related to the demolition of the concrete at the end of its life cycle (phases C1–C4) constituted approximately 10% on average of the total value of CF emissions over the entire concrete life cycle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Built Environment and Its Circular Economy)
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