Research

35 pages, 14115 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Circular Economy and Regenerative Sustainability in Emergency Housing: Eco-Efficient Prototype Design for Subaşi Refugee Camp in Turkey

by Pilar Mercader-Moyano, Paula Porras-Pereira and Carlos Levinton

Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 8100; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13148100 - 21 Jul 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4785

Abstract

According to the most recent data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2020, 82.4 million people were forcibly displaced. In addition to this situation, in the developed world, building construction consumes 40% of the world’s material resources and primary energy, [...] Read more.

According to the most recent data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2020, 82.4 million people were forcibly displaced. In addition to this situation, in the developed world, building construction consumes 40% of the world’s material resources and primary energy, while the construction industry generates 35% of industrial waste and 40% of total global emissions. Therefore, the objective of the research is to propose an eco-efficient prototype for emergency housing, from the point of view of circular economy and regenerative sustainability, that can respond to situations of natural or humanitarian disasters. To achieve this, it will be necessary to identify the problem that must be answered and develop a theoretical model that will serve as a guide for future interventions of these characteristics. Finally, to verify the applicability of the developed protocol, a field work is executed in an unorganized settlement, Subaşi camp, located in Turkey. This research presents a novel prototype that could be used as an alternative to current emergency housing, not only responding adequately to the minimum standards of habitability, but also doing so in an eco-efficient, environmentally correct way and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals and circular economy established in the 2030 Agenda. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 5452 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards Sustainable Concrete Composites through Waste Valorisation of Plastic Food Trays as Low-Cost Fibrous Materials

by Hossein Mohammadhosseini, Rayed Alyousef and Mahmood Md. Tahir

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2073; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13042073 - 15 Feb 2021

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3276

Abstract

Recycling of waste plastics is an essential phase towards cleaner production and circular economy. Plastics in different forms, which are non-biodegradable polymers, have become an indispensable ingredient of human life. The rapid growth of the world population has led to increased demand for [...] Read more.

Recycling of waste plastics is an essential phase towards cleaner production and circular economy. Plastics in different forms, which are non-biodegradable polymers, have become an indispensable ingredient of human life. The rapid growth of the world population has led to increased demand for commodity plastics such as food packaging. Therefore, to avert environment pollution with plastic wastes, sufficient management to recycle this waste is vital. In this study, experimental investigations and statistical analysis were conducted to assess the feasibility of polypropylene type of waste plastic food tray (WPFT) as fibrous materials on the mechanical and impact resistance of concrete composites. The WPFT fibres with a length of 20 mm were used at dosages of 0–1% in two groups of concrete with 100% ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and 30% palm oil fuel ash (POFA) as partial cement replacement. The results revealed that WPFT fibres had an adverse effect on the workability and compressive strength of concrete mixes. Despite a slight reduction in compressive strength of concrete mixtures, tensile and flexural strengths significantly enhanced up to 25% with the addition of WPFT fibres. The impact resistance and energy absorption values of concrete specimens reinforced with 1% WPFT fibres were found to be about 7.5 times higher than those of plain concrete mix. The utilisation of waste plastic food trays in the production of concrete makes it low-cost and aids in decreasing waste discarding harms. The development of new construction materials using WPFT is significant to the environment and construction industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 4213 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Framework for Designing Sustainable Structures through Steel Beam Reuse

by Seongjun Kim and Sung-Ah Kim

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9494; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12229494 - 15 Nov 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5027

Abstract

The architecture, engineering, and construction sector requires carbon-intensive materials, such as steel, in the construction process and generates a large amount of waste in the life cycle. This causes global warming and waste problems. The demand for the reuse of construction materials is [...] Read more.

The architecture, engineering, and construction sector requires carbon-intensive materials, such as steel, in the construction process and generates a large amount of waste in the life cycle. This causes global warming and waste problems. The demand for the reuse of construction materials is increasing, although it is not the convention, to reduce the environmental impact. Although the sustainable effect of the reuse of materials has been proven in several studies, materials are not always reused in practice, owing to the lack of an information system for reusable materials and the economic uncertainty. In this study, we propose a framework for designing structures using reusable steel beams. The design framework consists of a material bank and a design support tool. The material bank provides information on reusable materials based on the building information modeling. The design support tool generates efficient material procurement plans and provides information about the environmental and economic impact of the project. In a case study used to verify the framework, CO₂ emissions were reduced by up to 77% through material reuse, which was consistent with the results of previous studies. However, owing to the cost of processing reusable materials, the overall cost was found to increase by up to about 40%. Therefore, an economic analysis over the entire life cycle when using reusable materials needs to be done. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 8174 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Gypsum Composites Containing Cigarette Butt Waste for Building Applications

by Mónica Morales-Segura, César Porras-Amores, Paola Villoria-Sáez and David Caballol-Bartolomé

Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 7022; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12177022 - 28 Aug 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3208

Abstract

Cigarette butts are one of the most common waste on the planet and are not biodegradable, so they remain on the landscape for many years. Cigarette butt composition makes it suitable to be added during the manufacture of construction materials, so it can [...] Read more.

Cigarette butts are one of the most common waste on the planet and are not biodegradable, so they remain on the landscape for many years. Cigarette butt composition makes it suitable to be added during the manufacture of construction materials, so it can be considered a waste recovery material, helping to reduce the ecological footprint of the construction sector. This article shows the characterization of gypsum composites containing cigarette butt waste. Several gypsum specimens were prepared incorporating different percentages of cigarette butt waste (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%). Samples without waste additions were also prepared in order to compare the results obtained. Samples were tested for density, superficial hardness, flexural and compressive strength, bonding strength and acoustic performance. Results show that it is possible to add cigarette butts in a gypsum matrix, resulting in better mechanical behavior than traditional gypsums. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 6366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploratory Data Analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis of Construction and Demolition Waste Management in the European Economic Area

by Guillermo L. Taboada, Isabel Seruca, Cristina Sousa and Ángeles Pereira

Sustainability 2020, 12(12), 4995; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12124995 - 18 Jun 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5011

Abstract

This paper deals with the efficiency and sustainability of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) management in 30 Member States of the European Economic Area (EEA) (the 28 European Union countries plus Norway and Iceland) for the period 2010–2016 using Exploratory Data Analytics (EDA) [...] Read more.

This paper deals with the efficiency and sustainability of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) management in 30 Member States of the European Economic Area (EEA) (the 28 European Union countries plus Norway and Iceland) for the period 2010–2016 using Exploratory Data Analytics (EDA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The first stage of the proposed methodology is EDA with already available (the CDW recovery rate) and suggested indicators (e.g., building stock characterization, dwelling occupancy ratio, macroeconomic ratios and CDW breakdown) to characterize the efficiency and sustainability of CDW management. The second stage is to assess the efficiency of countries using DEA through two original CDW production models, one for sustainability, measuring the efficiency of the construction sector for reducing its CDW, and the second a model to score the efficiency of maximizing the CDW recovery rate. The main outcome of the paper is the proposed methodology, which is a candidate for replacing current indicators in order to evaluate the performance of CDW policy, due to is adaptive nature, promoting the continuous improvement and overcoming the limitations of the poor quality of metrics, data and parametric indicators. The methodology has been experimentally validated using Eurostat data for 30 Member States of EEA, ranking them according to the two DEA model scores, to point out the countries considered efficient among those of their scale, as a reference for sustainable and efficient practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 1066 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Landfill Levy Imposition on Construction and Demolition Waste: Australian Stakeholders’ Perceptions

by Salman Shooshtarian, Tayyab Maqsood, Malik Khalfan, Rebecca J. Yang and Peter Wong

Sustainability 2020, 12(11), 4496; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12114496 - 02 Jun 2020

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 5735

Abstract

With increased construction activities in capital cities of Australia, the sustainable management of construction and demolition (C&D) has become an important item in the federal and state government agendas. According to the universally accepted concept of waste hierarchy waste disposal is the worst [...] Read more.

With increased construction activities in capital cities of Australia, the sustainable management of construction and demolition (C&D) has become an important item in the federal and state government agendas. According to the universally accepted concept of waste hierarchy waste disposal is the worst preferred waste management option due to environmental issues. Currently, in most Australian jurisdictions, a landfill levy is applied to discourage waste disposal and to further encourage waste recovery. However, there is an ongoing debate as to whether the levy regime could achieve the desired outcome. Therefore, this study, funded by the Australian Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre, explored the effectiveness of the current landfill levy across Australian jurisdictions. The paper presents the findings of this study that were obtained from a questionnaire survey aiming to capture the main C&D waste management stakeholders on landfill taxing imposition in Australia. The study collected 132 responses from professionals in the construction industry and other industries dealing with C&D waste management and resource recovery. The results demonstrated that those who believed in market incentive approaches outweigh people that were in favour of pecuniary impost approach. Among those who favoured pecuniary imposts, almost 90% of participants agreed with the effectiveness of landfill levies in any waste management system. Other results provided a useful insight into the actual implications of the current levy scheme. It is expected that the findings in this study contribute to developing sound policies that provide a level field for all key stakeholders and to ensure that resource recovery is further encouraged. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 3770 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Chemical Characterisation of Construction and Demolition Waste in Skopje City and Its Surroundings (Republic of Macedonia)

by Gianluca Bianchini, Igor Ristovski, Igor Milcov, Alojz Zupac, Claudio Natali, Gian Marco Salani, Chiara Marchina, Valentina Brombin and Andrea Ferraboschi

Sustainability 2020, 12(5), 2055; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12052055 - 07 Mar 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3593

Abstract

In the Republic of Macedonia, construction and demolition (C&D) waste is often dumped, underestimating the potential recycling and re-use as raw materials for civil engineering works and/or cement/ceramic industries. SAMCODE (Sustainable Approach to Managing Construction and Demolition Waste) is a know-how exchange program, [...] Read more.

In the Republic of Macedonia, construction and demolition (C&D) waste is often dumped, underestimating the potential recycling and re-use as raw materials for civil engineering works and/or cement/ceramic industries. SAMCODE (Sustainable Approach to Managing Construction and Demolition Waste) is a know-how exchange program, the focus of which is chemical characterisation in terms of major and trace elements in order to evaluate the possible Macedonian C&D waste recycling. Thirty-nine C&D waste samples were collected from different dumps in Skopje and surroundings. X-ray fluorescence analyses, carried out on powdered samples, show i) highly variable concentrations, indicative of the heterogenous nature of C&D waste, and ii) high concentration in Cr, Ni, and Zn with respect to Italian, Chinese, and Dutch tolerance limits, probably due to the presence of these elements in ophiolitic rocks and sulphide-bearing deposits, used as raw material in building activity. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses of leachates, performed to assess the mobility of heavy metals, show significant concentrations of Cr, and to a lesser extent, Ni. Results suggest that homogenisation processes of the recycled materials should be implemented and preliminary screening of C&D waste should be performed to eliminate heavy metals-bearing components. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 7893 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Testing of the Integrated Energy Behavior of Sustainable Improved Mortar Panels with Recycled Additives by Means of Energy Simulation

by Raúl Briones-Llorente, Verónica Calderón, Sara Gutiérrez-González, Eduardo Montero and Ángel Rodríguez

Sustainability 2019, 11(11), 3117; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11113117 - 03 Jun 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2399

Abstract

Present waste management policies aim to reduce waste environmental impacts and improve resources’ efficiency. The use of waste and recycled materials to develop green construction materials are attracting researchers worldwide to develop new solutions addressed to increase the sustainability of buildings. This work [...] Read more.

Present waste management policies aim to reduce waste environmental impacts and improve resources’ efficiency. The use of waste and recycled materials to develop green construction materials are attracting researchers worldwide to develop new solutions addressed to increase the sustainability of buildings. This work presents a study of a new recycled mortar panel from the point of view of its contribution to the sustainability of buildings. Materials from industrial waste, as rigid polyurethane foam and electric arc furnace slags, are used as an additive of prefabricated mortar panels. The new proposed panels must have good thermal behavior with respect to the heat transfer interactions with the outside temperature and relative humidity, when compared to traditional brick or concrete. A test building with two kinds of representative uses, which are both residential and tertiary, and located in three cities of Spain with different climates, will be energy simulated in order to assess the thermal behavior of new construction or refurbished opaque ventilated façades with the new mortar panel. The thermal behavior of the new mortar panels would be studied by means of two energy assessments: (i) the evaluation of the influence of the new mortar panel in the energy demand of the whole building when compared to traditional materials, and (ii) the detailed analysis of the transient inner surface temperature of the space walls when using the new mortar panel. Based on the results obtained from the energy simulations performed, it follows that the thermal behavior of the mortar panel is, at least, equivalent to those of the other two materials, and even better in some aspects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1233 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Best Practices to Prevent and Manage the Waste Generated in Building Rehabilitation Works

by Paola Villoria Sáez, Mercedes Del Río Merino, César Porras-Amores, Jaime Santa Cruz Astorqui and Natalia González Pericot

Sustainability 2019, 11(10), 2796; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11102796 - 16 May 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2941

Abstract

This paper carries out a survey conducted among the construction agents in order to evaluate the effectiveness and viability of several best practice measures regarding construction and demolition waste (CDW) management in building rehabilitation works. This survey was developed considering that in rehabilitation [...] Read more.

This paper carries out a survey conducted among the construction agents in order to evaluate the effectiveness and viability of several best practice measures regarding construction and demolition waste (CDW) management in building rehabilitation works. This survey was developed considering that in rehabilitation works two well differentiated activities are carried out: those of the dismantling of the building (deconstruction activities) and those of the execution of the new construction (construction activities). Results of this survey show that among the highly rated best practices for the design phase “designing the building in order to help the recovery of the materials at the end of its use” can be highlighted, despite less than 25% of respondents usually implement this measure in their works. Moreover, according to BP during the construction phase, the results reveal that only 70% of respondents routinely implement the most valued measure “Hiring authorized companies for the management of CDW” and 60% the second “Respecting the manufacturer’s directions regarding the transport, collection and commissioning”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Sustainable Management of Waste Materials in Construction

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (9 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI