Evaluating environmental impacts of alternative construction waste management approaches using supply-chain-linked life-cycle analysis

Küçükvar, Murat; Eğilmez, Gökhan; Tatari, Ömer

doi:10.1177/0734242x14536457

Cited by 81 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…After the EIO model has been established, the total environmental impacts can be calculated by multiplying the economic output of each industrial sector by the environmental impacts associated with per dollar of output. A vector of environmental outputs can be expressed as [20]:…”

Section: Hybrid Lca Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Life Cycle Assessment and Optimization-Based Decision Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling for a LEED-Certified University Building

2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The current waste management literature lacks a comprehensive LCA of the recycling of construction materials that considers both process and supply chain-related impacts as a whole. Furthermore, an optimization-based decision support framework has not been also addressed in any work, which provides a quantifiable understanding about the potential savings and implications associated with recycling of construction materials from a life cycle perspective. The aim of this research is to present a multi-criteria optimization model, which is developed to propose economically-sound and environmentally-benign construction waste management strategies for a LEED-certified university building. First, an economic input-output-based hybrid life cycle assessment model is built to quantify the total environmental impacts of various waste management options: recycling, conventional landfilling and incineration. After quantifying the net environmental pressures associated with these waste treatment alternatives, a compromise programming model is utilized to determine the optimal recycling strategy considering environmental and economic impacts, simultaneously. The analysis results show that recycling of ferrous and non-ferrous metals significantly contributed to reductions in the total carbon footprint of waste management. On the other hand, recycling of asphalt and concrete increased the overall carbon footprint due to high fuel consumption and emissions during the crushing process. Based on the multi-criteria optimization results, 100% recycling of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, cardboard, plastic and glass is suggested to maximize the environmental and economic savings, simultaneously. We believe that the results of this research will facilitate better decision making in treating construction and debris waste for LEED-certified green buildings by combining the results of environmental LCA with multi-objective optimization modeling.

show abstract

Section: Hybrid Lca Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this research, a hybrid EIO-LCA model is built to consider the environmental impacts associated with different waste management scenarios. This LCA model quantifies the total environmental burdens associated with the waste management system, which is presented in the following equation [20]: …”

Section: Hybrid Lca Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Assessment and Optimization-Based Decision Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling for a LEED-Certified University Building

2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…At the same time, few studies have used IO-based hLCA (Choi et al 2011;Kucukvar et al 2014;Wijayasundara et al 2017a). Kucukvar et al (2014) combined process-based LCA with IOA to assess the onsite impacts and higher order supply chain impacts of recycling, incineration and landfilling of C&D waste. Wijayasundara et al (2017a) compared the embodied energy of recycled aggregate concrete and natural aggregate concrete in Australia using the IO-based hLCA method.…”

Section: Modelling Recycling Of Construction Wastementioning

confidence: 99%

Mixed-unit hybrid life cycle assessment applied to the recycling of construction materials

Teh

Wiedmann

Moore

2018

Economic Structures

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The construction industry contributes around 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, 40% of depletion of natural resources, and 25% of wastes globally. To reduce these impacts, construction industries can adopt low-carbon alternatives for construction materials and waste minimisation strategies, including the recycling of construction and demolition waste. However, a comprehensive understanding of the full life cycle carbon profile of low-carbon and recyclable construction materials is required to accurately assess the efficacy of decarbonisation strategies in the built environment. Despite recent progress in hybrid life cycle assessment (hybrid LCA) methods, some weaknesses remain with respect to the inherent uncertainty relating to price variations and aggregated sectors that are unable to provide detailed waste-specific information in hybrid LCA. Furthermore, attributional, hybrid LCA for a functional unit does not reflect the actual, economy-wide physical flows of materials in a real economy. In this study, a mixed-unit hybrid LCA approach based on a combination of process life cycle inventory, input-output, and material flow data is used to model the economy-wide potential use of recycled construction materials in Australia. A comparison between methods of life cycle emissions of geopolymer concrete revealed that the mixed-unit hybrid LCA approach produced a more accurate and Australian-specific result. The usefulness of the proposed mixed-unit IO model is demonstrated through quantifying the cradle-togate embodied emissions of recycled construction materials and by-products utilised in concrete and steel sectors in Australia. The results yield a 1% reduction when recycled concrete aggregate completely replaces natural aggregate in both ordinary Portland cement and geopolymer concrete. Greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 30% is quantified for geopolymer concrete using recycled concrete aggregate compared with ordinary Portland cement concrete utilising natural aggregate and 43% is estimated for electric arc furnace route using iron and steel scrap compared with basic oxygen furnace route. The method merges physical and monetary units of industrial systems related to low-carbon alternatives and recycled construction materials to enable the calculations of embodied carbon with improved accuracy. The results of this study can help inform decarbonisation strategies in the built environment sector.

show abstract

“…Moreover, urban public construction, development of housing projects, and interior space environmental decoration work would cause compound pollution, such as air pollution, noise pollution, and waste pollution, in urban environments. Such problems would further involve in the clean-up and management problems of recycling, landfill, and burning of construction waste (Kucukvar et al, 2014) to result in the load of personnel expenses, waste treatment, and the maintenance of averse space on management departments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DAHP Expected Utility Based Evaluation Model for Management Performance on Interior Environmental Decoration – An Example in Taiwan

Chen

Cheng

Hsueh

et al. 2017

EURASIA J MATH SCI T

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Construction industry has been criticized as the industry producing high pollution. Especially, a newly built house is often torn down and renovated the walls in the interior space at the life cycle stage of a housing project when buyers are using and maintaining, due to distinct customer demand and preference. Structural walls and beam columns are even randomly drilled for the piping requirement of air conditioner pipelines to result in public danger. It could be attributed to the regulation of interior environmental decoration without safety check in Taiwan and some interior designers, in order to strive for cases in the high competition, corresponding to customers' demands for changing interior patterns. In addition to newly built houses, the sale and transfer of second-hand houses is another thought for the renovation work of interior space environmental decoration to disturb the life of neighbors and seriously damage the environment. Accordingly, Delphi method, Analytical hierarchy process, and Utility theory are applied in this study to establish an AHP expected utility based evaluation model for management performance on interior environmental decoration, aiming to provide the safety management for interior environmental decoration and reduce the management review for energy consumption and environmental protection.

show abstract

Evaluating environmental impacts of alternative construction waste management approaches using supply-chain-linked life-cycle analysis

Cited by 81 publications

References 36 publications

Life Cycle Assessment and Optimization-Based Decision Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling for a LEED-Certified University Building

Life Cycle Assessment and Optimization-Based Decision Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling for a LEED-Certified University Building

Mixed-unit hybrid life cycle assessment applied to the recycling of construction materials

DAHP Expected Utility Based Evaluation Model for Management Performance on Interior Environmental Decoration – An Example in Taiwan

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About