Environmental Impact Assessment of Construction Waste Recycling versus Disposal Scenarios Using an LCA-BIM Tool during the Design Stage

Abstract

The scientific community has revealed the environmental benefits of recycling construction waste (CW) versus its disposal, and its contribution to circularity. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method enables the environmental impact of CW management to be quantified and facilitates the comparison of recycling versus alternative disposal scenarios. However, due to its complexity, LCA is seldom used by technicians during the design phase, which constitutes a crucial stage in the prevention of environmental impacts. This paper therefore proposes an LCA-based tool, integrated into the Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology, that helps designers to automate the environmental assessment of recycling versus disposal. The CW-LCA-BIM tool uses impact factors obtained from an LCA model applied to CW and was applied to the structural system of a building in Spain. Up to 99% of the non-hazardous waste was recyclable or reusable. The management of three types of recyclable waste was assessed: concrete (27.2 t), plastics (4.2 t), and steel (1.5 t). Recycling is shown to be the best option since it prevents 1.4 times (14.6 t) the emissions of the disposal scenario and saves 85 times (148.5 GJ) its energy consumption. This tool can be developed in other waste management systems and infrastructures. It can be useful both for designers for the reduction of the environmental impact of their buildings, and for policy managers for waste-prevention policies.

Implementation of Building Information Modeling Technologies in Wood Construction: A Review of the State of the Art from a Multidisciplinary Approach

“…In this sense, with the use of BIM methodologies and tools in wood construction, materials can be optimized due to the accuracy of the material amount and other component estimations. Thus, waste is minimized and reductions in environmental impact and construction cost are reached [18]. Moreover, existing research underscores the collaborative advantages facilitated by BIM in construction projects [19,20].…”

“…Given the intricate nature of timber elements, the demand for meticulous planning and intricate coordination among various timber-based components is accentuated, underscoring the inherent relevance and efficacy of BIM in this specialized construction sector [22]. Further-more, the use of BIM tools enables the execution of sophisticated analyses, encompassing load simulations, evaluations of structural resilience, and assessments of performance under diverse environmental scenarios [18,[23][24][25]. In this sense, the integration of these analytical tools within the realm of wood construction serves as a pivotal mechanism to evaluate the structural viability and safety of timber-based structures.…”

Influence of Sustainable Grout Material on the Moisture Damage of Semi-flexible Pavement

“…In 2012, Iraq produced 119,425 tons of hazardous solid industrial wastes (unit production rate: 0.01 kg/capita/day) [2]. Construction and demolition waste constitute 75% of the world's solid waste, while ceramic tile waste makes up 54% of this waste [3]. The use of moderate quantities of ceramic tiles in the subway and infrastructure may facilitate the ecologically acceptable disposal of such waste.…”