The Traceability of Construction and Demolition Waste in Flanders via Blockchain Technology: A Match Made in Heaven?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-369
Author(s):  
Jonas Voorter ◽  
Christof Koolen
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
Waste Processing ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Legal Case ◽  
Made In

Abstract The construction sector plays a crucial role in the transition to a circular economy and a more sustainable society. With this objective in mind, Flanders – the Dutch speaking part of Belgium – makes use of a traceability procedure for construction and demolition waste in order to guarantee that value can be derived from downstream waste processing activities. This article takes this traceability procedure as a legal case study and examines if the use of blockchain technology could lead to even stronger supply chains, better data management, and, more generally, a smoother transition to circular practices in the construction sector.

scholarly journals Ecofibers for the Reinforcement of Cement Mortars for Coating Promoting the Circular Economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Piña Ramírez ◽  
Alejandra Vidales Barriguete ◽  
Julián García Muñoz ◽  
Mercedes del Río Merino ◽  
Patricia del Solar Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Cement Mortar ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
Vapour Permeability ◽  
Cement Mortars ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Recycled Fibres

Nowadays, nobody can deny that climate change is a reality and that the life cycle of buildings contributes greatly to that reality. Therefore, proposals such as the circular economy must be integrated into the construction sector. This article shows part of the results of a research project whose objective is to introduce circular economy criteria in building materials, seeking new uses for construction and demolition waste from buildings. In particular, this article analyses the possibility of replacing fibres currently used to reinforce cement mortars with recycled fibres. After consulting the bibliography, we can conclude that some studies analyse the behaviour of cement mortars reinforced with different types of fibres, but none has been found that analyses the behaviour of these mortars for the application of continuous coatings. For this purpose, a two-stage experimental plan is designed to test cement mortar samples with different types of fibres, recycled fibres and commercial fibres, taking into consideration the characteristics that these mortars have to comply to be applied as continuous coatings. Moreover, a detailed study about the porosity of these mortars and its influence on how the mortars behave with regard to compression, water vapour permeability and impermeability has been conducted. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that the mortars containing recycled fibres have very similar resistance, absorption and permeability values to those containing commercial fibres, so that they might be suitable for application as external coatings.

scholarly journals Development of Strategies to Promote Circular Economy in the Management of Construction and Demolition Waste: A Case Study in Manaus, Brazil

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria do Perpétuo Socorro Lamego Oliveira ◽  
Evailton Arantes de Oliveira ◽  
Ana Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
Amazon Forest ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
Mobile Phone Application ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Municipal Policies ◽  
Regional Authorities

Abstract Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) cause environmental impacts in a worldwide scale. The existing international concern regarding the adequate management of CDW is justified by the large amount of this waste produced in a daily basis, together with its potential hazardous effects on ecosystems and human health. In countries with growing economies, like Brazil, it is of the utmost importance to promote sustainability-oriented practices that can co-exist with economic development. In this scope, the present research proposes strategies regarding the management of CDW based on the Circular Economy principles, focusing the case study of the municipality of Manaus, in the centre of the Amazon Forest. The characterization of the reference situation regarding CDW management in Manaus revealed several deficiencies, namely the lack of reuse and recycling opportunities, the unsupervised disposal of CDW in illegal landfills, together with insufficient surveillance procedures and inadequate policies from regional authorities like the Manaus City Hall and the Amazon’s Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy (CREA-AM). The acknowledgement of these problems led to the identification of improvement opportunities and to the development and operationalization of Circular Economy promotion strategies: valorisation of CDW through the enhancement of reuse and recycling opportunities, operationalized through a mobile phone application; inclusion of sensibilization and surveillance practices regarding professional activities related to CDW management on the CREA-AM inspection plan; and the proposal of alterations in the municipal policies regarding CDW disposal in the public landfill. These strategies have been implemented in the Manaus municipality, but are easily adaptable to other Brazilian municipalities and even to other countries’ realities.

scholarly journals in Construction from Waste to in Israel: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 323-340
Author(s):  
Zvi Weinstein
Keyword(s):  
National Economy ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Local Municipalities ◽  
The One ◽  
State Of Israel

AbstractThe chapter describes a policy of the State of Israel with the aim to cope with construction and demolition waste (CDW) through recycling, to be further used as green products. It is aimed at supporting the national economy and the recovery of the open public spaces that became places for illegal landfills, impacting the natural environment. Two major tools are used to achieve these aims: the first is the circular economy (CE), instrumentally led by the Ministry of Economy, and the second is the regulatory framework led by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Both have the capacities to cope with, and support, the national economy and the environment. We argue that the way to achieve the full integration between the circular economy and the legal framework has still a wide gap, although big changes and advancements have been made towards reaching a comprehensive policy. Both Ministries are aware that it is a long process to achieve real changes after many years of environmental neglect due mainly to conflictual politics, economic interests, lack of budget and other government priorities. The means to achieve that goal include the use of the circular economy principles for recycling CDW into green and reusable products, on the one hand, and empowering the responsibility and accountability of local municipalities through regulation, on the other.

scholarly journals Success Drivers for Implementing Circular Economy: A Case Study from the Building Sector in Colombia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1350
Author(s):  
Luz Elba Torres-Guevara ◽  
Vanessa Prieto-Sandoval ◽  
Andres Mejia-Villa
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Direct Communication ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Large Building ◽  
Do So

This paper contributes to the circular economy (CE) literature by investigating the drivers of success of the CE implementation in the construction sector and how those drivers can complement any implementation process in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). To do so, we analyzed the case of TECMO Estructuras Metálicas, using the methodology proposed by Jaca and colleagues to implement the CE in SMEs. It is a Colombian company with more than five decades of experience in the manufacture and installation of steel and aluminum structures for small and large building and infrastructure projects. The data were collected between August 2019 and November 2020 through direct communication with the company via workshops, meetings, and company reports. This research found that five drivers are relevant for implementing CE in the construction sector: fertile ecosystem, management commitment, identification of valuable materials, green teams, and CE intermediaries. Moreover, this study also contributes to teaching the implementation of the CE in companies, since it shows that through the methodology presented, implementation projects can be developed in postgraduate classes.

Circular economy and its disclosure in the basic concepts of improving production processes in construction

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3D) ◽  
pp. 629-635
Author(s):  
Maria Aleksandrovna Kalmykova ◽  
Elena Mikhailovna Kiseleva ◽  
Vadim Anatolevich Mironchuk ◽  
Ilya Valerievich Sorgutov ◽  
Sergey Barinov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Global Problems ◽  
Basic Concepts

The article discusses the features of the circular economy and its disclosure in the basic concepts of improving production processes in construction. The concept of a circular economy (CE) has recently become widespread as a perspective for solving global problems such as resource scarcity and waste management. The CE concept in the construction sector is rapidly gaining momentum and is used by many participants to coordinate their plans to build a more sustainable society. However, what exactly CE entails, remains unclear, and the actors involved in the transition to the CE set different priorities depending on their capabilities and goals. The transition to CE requires a more holistic approach and concerted efforts of all parties in the construction business.

scholarly journals From Buildings’ End of Life to Aggregate Recycling under a Circular Economic Perspective: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9625
Author(s):  
Ambroise Lachat ◽  
Konstantinos Mantalovas ◽  
Tiffany Desbois ◽  
Oumaya Yazoghli-Marzouk ◽  
Anne-Sophie Colas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
Recycled Aggregates ◽  
Demolition Waste

The demolition of buildings, apart from being energy intensive and disruptive, inevitably produces construction and demolition waste (C&Dw). Unfortunately, even today, the majority of this waste ends up underexploited and not considered as valuable resources to be re-circulated into a closed/open loop process under the umbrella of circular economy (CE). Considering the amount of virgin aggregates needed in civil engineering applications, C&Dw can act as sustainable catalyst towards the preservation of natural resources and the shift towards a CE. This study completes current research by presenting a life cycle inventory compilation and life cycle assessment case study of two buildings in France. The quantification of the end-of-life environmental impacts of the two buildings and subsequently the environmental impacts of recycled aggregates production from C&Dw was realized using the framework of life cycle assessment (LCA). The results indicate that the transport of waste, its treatment, and especially asbestos’ treatment are the most impactful phases. For example, in the case study of the first building, transport and treatment of waste reached 35% of the total impact for global warming. Careful, proactive, and strategic treatment, geolocation, and transport planning is recommended for the involved stakeholders and decision makers in order to ensure minimal sustainability implications during the implementation of CE approaches for C&Dw.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document