Special Issue "Construction and Demolition Waste: Challenges and Opportunities"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Anibal C. Maury-Ramirez
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Universidad El Bosque, Decanatura Facultad de Ingeniería, Av. Cra 9 No. 131 A - 02, Bogotá, Colombia
Interests: green walls and roofs; photocatalytic materials; nanomaterials; recycling in concrete
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Jaime A Mesa
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Cra. 7 No 40-62, 110231 Bogotá D.C., Colombia
Interests: life-cycle assessment, design for sustainability, environmental performance of products and systems, product durability, material selection, valorization of waste from industrial processes and design of circular products (Circular Economy perspective)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the enormous construction material demands for the rising number of buildings and urban infrastructure, the use of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) in building materials becomes a crucial issue for the sustainable development of our planet, especially in developing countries. The extraction of natural aggregates and minerals from mountains and rivers has destroyed vital ecosystems worldwide. Moreover, the manufacture of building materials releases a significant amount of greenhouse emissions. For example, only for producing a ton of Portland cement, a ton of CO2 is approximately released to the atmosphere. Based on this, the construction industry is currently an important producer of global warming gases. Although many efforts have been done made by governments, industries, and scientists to increase the use of C&DW in construction materials, articulated efforts are required at global, regional, and local scales. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to provide a better comparison and assessment of the application potentials of construction and demolition waste in building materials. In particular, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following aspects:

(a) Physical, chemical, mechanical, and durability properties of C&DW aggregates, fillers, and cementitious materials;

(b) Classification and processing techniques for C&DW;

(c) Design of concrete and mortar mixes using C&DW;

(d) Life cycle assessment of construction materials using C&DW;

(e) Novel applications of C&DW.

References:

[1] Naranjo, A.; Colonia, A.; Mesa, J.; Maury-Ramírez, A. Evaluation of Semi-Intensive Green Roofs with Drainage Layers Made Out of Recycled and Reused Materials. Coatings 2020; 10-6: 525. Relation – use of recycled rubber and reused plastic bottles

[2] Etxeberria, M., Guo, MZ., Maury-Ramirez, A., Poon. CS. Influence of dust and oil accumulation on effectiveness of photocatalytic concrete surfaces. Journal of Environmental Engineering – ASCE; 2017; 1-10. Relation – Use of recycled glass as aggregate and filler

[3] Guo, MZ., Maury-Ramirez, A., Poon, CS. Self-cleaning ability of titanium dioxide clear paint coated architectural mortar and its potential in field application. Journal of Cleaner Production 2016; 112: 3583-3588. Relation – Use of recycled glass as aggregate and filler

[4] Guo, MZ., Maury-Ramirez A., Poon, CS. Versatile photocatalytic functions of self-compacting architectural glass mortars and their inter-relationship. Materials & Design 2015; 88: 1260–1268. Relation – Use of recycled glass as aggregate and filler

[5] Guo, MZ., Maury-Ramirez A., Poon, CS. Photocatalytic activities of titanium dioxide incorporated architectural mortars: Effects of weathering and activation light. Building and Environment 2015; 94: 395-402. Relation – Use of recycled glass as aggregate and filler

[6] Mesa J.A., Esparragoza I., Maury H. (2018) “Relative Assessment of Indicators in Sustainability Enhancement (RAISE): a first approach in the manufacturing stage of products”. International Journal of Sustainable Engineering. Published online. https://doi.org/10.1080/19397038.2018.1491070

[7] Mesa J.A., Esparragoza I., Maury H. (2019) “Modular architecture principles – MAPs: a key factor in the development of sustainable open architecture products”. International Journal of Sustainable Engineering. Vol 13, issue 2. https://doi.org/10.1080/19397038.2019.1634157

[8] Mesa, J.A., Esparragoza, I. & Maury, H. (2019) Trends and Perspectives of Sustainable Product Design for Open Architecture Products: Facing the Circular Economy Model. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing - Green Technology. Vol 6, 377-391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40684-019-00052-1

[9] Butera, S., Christensen, TH, Astrup, TF. (2015). Life cycle assessment of construction and demolition waste management, Waste Management, Volume 44, 2015, Pages 196-205, ISSN 0956- 053X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2015.07.011

[10] Di Maria, A., Eyckmans, J., Van Acker, K. (2018). Downcycling versus recycling of construction and demolition waste: Combining LCA and LCC to support sustainable policy making, Waste Management, Volume 75, Pages 3-21, ISSN 0956-053X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.01.028

Prof. Dr. Anibal C. Maury-Ramirez
Dr. Jaime A Mesa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • construction and demolition waste
  • building materials
  • concrete
  • aggregates
  • filler
  • cement
  • life-cycle assessment
  • circular economy

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Article
Mechanical Properties of Concrete Using Recycled Aggregates Obtained from Old Paving Stones
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3044; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063044 - 10 Mar 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 827
Abstract
Nowadays, construction, maintenance, reparation, rehabilitation, retrofitting, and demolition from infrastructure and buildings generate large amounts of urban waste, which usually are inadequately disposed due to high costs and technical limitations. On the other hand, the increasing demand for natural aggregates for concrete production [...] Read more.
Nowadays, construction, maintenance, reparation, rehabilitation, retrofitting, and demolition from infrastructure and buildings generate large amounts of urban waste, which usually are inadequately disposed due to high costs and technical limitations. On the other hand, the increasing demand for natural aggregates for concrete production seriously affects mountains and rivers as they are the source of these nonrenewable goods. Consequently, the recycling of aggregates for concrete is gaining attention worldwide as an alternative to reduce the environmental impacts caused by the extraction of nonrenewable goods and disposal of construction and demolition waste (C&DW). Therefore, this article describes the effect on the mechanical properties of new concrete using recycled aggregates obtained from old paving stones. Results show that replacing 50% by weight of the fine and coarse aggregate fractions in concrete with recycled aggregate does not meaningfully affect its mechanical behavior, making the use of recycled aggregates in new precast paving stones possible. Therefore, the latter can reduce environmental impacts and costs for developing infrastructure and building projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction and Demolition Waste: Challenges and Opportunities)
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Article
Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) Recycling—As Both Binder and Aggregates—In Alkali-Activated Materials: A Novel Re-Use Concept
Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5775; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145775 - 17 Jul 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1067
Abstract
This article demonstrates the possibility of producing alkali-activated materials (AAM) from a mixture of mechanically processed concrete, ceramic, masonry, and mortar wastes, as a sustainable alternative for recycling construction and demolition wastes (CDWs) under real conditions. The addition of 10% Portland cement allowed [...] Read more.
This article demonstrates the possibility of producing alkali-activated materials (AAM) from a mixture of mechanically processed concrete, ceramic, masonry, and mortar wastes, as a sustainable alternative for recycling construction and demolition wastes (CDWs) under real conditions. The addition of 10% Portland cement allowed the materials to cure at room temperature (25 °C). CDW binder achieved a compressive strength of up to 43.9 MPa and it was classified as a general use and low heat of hydration cement according to ASTM C1157. The concrete produced with this cement and the crushed aggregates also from CDW reported a compressive strength of 33.9 MPa at 28 days of curing and it was possible to produce a high-class structural block with 26.1 MPa according to ASTM C90. These results are considered one option in making full use of CDWs as binder and aggregates, using alkaline activation technology thereby meeting the zero-waste objective within the concept of the circular economy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction and Demolition Waste: Challenges and Opportunities)
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Review

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Review
Life Cycle Assessment on Construction and Demolition Waste: A Systematic Literature Review
Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7676; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147676 - 09 Jul 2021
Viewed by 576
Abstract
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is considered an innovative tool to analyze environmental impacts to make decisions aimed at improving the environmental performance of building materials and construction processes throughout different life cycle stages, including design, construction, use, operation, and end-of-life (EOL). Therefore, during [...] Read more.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is considered an innovative tool to analyze environmental impacts to make decisions aimed at improving the environmental performance of building materials and construction processes throughout different life cycle stages, including design, construction, use, operation, and end-of-life (EOL). Therefore, during the last two decades, interest in applying this tool in the construction field has increased, and the number of articles and studies has risen exponentially. However, there is a lack of consolidated studies that provide insights into the implementation of LCA on construction and demolition waste (C&DW). To fill this research gap, this study presents a literature review analysis to consolidate the most relevant topics and issues in the research field of C&DW materials and how LCA has been implemented during the last two decades. A systematic literature search was performed following the PRISMA method: analysis of selected works is based on bibliometric and content-based approaches. As a result, the study characterized 150 selected works in terms of the evolution of articles per year, geographical distribution, most relevant research centers, and featured sources. In addition, this study highlights research gaps in terms of methodological and design tools to improve LCA analysis, indicators, and connection to new trending concepts, such as circular economy and industry 4.0. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction and Demolition Waste: Challenges and Opportunities)
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