engleski

Life Cycle Assessment As Affirmation Tool for Faster Uptake of Construction Products Incorporating Waste Materials

According to Eurostat, the total production of cementitious materials in the EU was estimated to be 163 million tonnes in 2016, corresponding to an estimated turnover of €15.2 billion. Currently, the annual production of cement in Croatia is around 4.4 million tons. At the same time, the global average CO2 emission per tonne of cement is estimated to be around 0.83 tonnes. Considering the expected rapid population growth and production increase, if no actions are taken by 2050, the production of cementitious materials alone could contribute to 24% of total global CO2 emissions. There is no other construction material (natural or man-made) that is produced in such high quantity as concrete, therefore a phase-out strategy for cementitious binders in concrete is highly unlikely. In East & south-east Europe (ESEE) countries today, the main cementitious binders used are those with a significant amount of industrial by-products from heavy industry, such as slags from the steel industry and fly ash from coal combustion. However, for these industrial by-products to work, they must have a certain quality and stability in production quantities. Since these criteria cannot be met with regional industry, most industrial by-products are currently imported from countries such as Turkey or China. Such heavy reliance on the import of secondary raw materials poses risks: supply insecurity due to scarcity, regulations and/or geopolitical factors and price volatility of industrial by-products, depending on regulations and market opportunities. Transformation of the construction industry into low-environmental and resource-efficient ones is possible through greater circularity of the different types of waste streams that are still disposed of in landfills. This includes opening new value chains and industrial symbiosis, adapting and redesigning solutions, and creating a framework and standardisation for wider use of construction products incorporating waste materials. LCA presents an important and efficient tool in the affirmation process for faster uptake of these products. This research shows two different LCA examples of different local available wastes used as reactive binders in the construction sector and a comparison of their environmental impact with existing commercial cement. In addition, the greatest challenges and barriers (social and technical) of accepting new materials in the construction sector have been identified through interviews with the key stakeholders.

cement industry, waste, industry symbiosis, reactive binders, life cycle assessment

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