scholarly journals The Use of Recycled and Secondary Aggregates to Achieve A Circular Economy within Geotechnical Engineering

Geotechnics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 416-438
Author(s):  
Lisa Perkins ◽  
Alexander C. D. Royal ◽  
Ian Jefferson ◽  
Colin D. Hills
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Renewable Resources ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Geotechnical Engineering ◽  
Annual Production ◽  
Current Dependence ◽  
The Uk

The construction industry’s current dependence on primary aggregates is unsustainable as these are non-renewable resources and the consumption of these materials has a high environmental impact. The global annual production of primary aggregates is estimated to be 50 billion tonnes. In Europe, where 2 billion tonnes of primary aggregates are produced annually, approximately 90% of aggregates are utilised by the construction industry, whilst over 1Gt of waste are sent to landfill; in the UK, 44% of landfilled waste arises from the construction industry. The drive to adopt a circular economy necessitates changes in resource use (including non-renewable aggregates). Recycling wastes, such as aggregates, could help this situation; whilst this concept is not new, it does not appear to have been widely embraced in geotechnical engineering. The aim of this paper is to highlight the benefits of increasing the use of alternative aggregates as this would enable the reserves of primary aggregates to be better maintained and less material would be landfilled—a win-win situation and a contributing step towards developing a truly circular economy.

Life Cycle Assessment of Circular Bio-Based Construction

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Cascione ◽  
Matt Roberts ◽  
Stephen Allen ◽  
Barrie Dams ◽  
Daniel Maskell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Service Life ◽  
Renewable Resources ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Natural Materials ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Sequestration Potential

The construction sector is a large consumer of non-renewable resources and it is responsible of 44% of global energy related CO2 emissions. Circular economy is an emerging strategy that has potential to make significant improvements in the construction industry, by taking efficient and sustainable actions against climate change. The principles of circular economy are to minimise the waste of resources, by maximizing materials' performances, whilst in use, and recycle and regenerate them at the end of their service life. Natural materials can potentially be suitable in this strategy, due to the use of renewable resources, carbon sequestration potential, and high suitability for reuse and recycling. The development of bio-based wall panel is a first step into the integration of a circular economy approach in the construction sector. In this study, vapour responsive bio-based panel prototypes with low thermal transmittance (U<0.20 W/m2K) are being designed, taking into consideration the burdens and benefits of natural materials over their entire life cycle. The challenge is to assess the environmental impact of the panels during their design and production, maximise performance and life span, when in use, and regenerate and recycle panel components at the end of the service life. In this paper, a life cycle assessment of a prototype bio-based panel designed with circular economy principles is investigated. The environmental impact of the panel is analysed to investigate limitation in assessing emissions and use of resources in a circular prospective. The objective of the research is to integrate environmental impact analysis during the early stage of panel design. This will put the basis for the development of a sustainable and circular building industry and for identifying area of improvements for the development of sustainable circular panels with expected hygrothermal benefits conferred using bio-based materials.

scholarly journals SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY-ISSUE RELATED TO COMPARATIVE COST BENEFITS

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Bala ◽  
Samuel P.O ◽  
Iyang Enin O. Ata
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
National Level ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Cost Benefits ◽  
Comparative Cost

The purpose of this research is to analyze the socio-economic and environmental impact of circular economy in the construction industry with focus on the issues related to the comparative cost benefits. Three objectives and research questions were raised to solve this research problem. The research method adopted is a qualitative technique with the use of empirical analysis to elicit the findings. Finding also revealed that these processes have significant potential to deliver economic, environmental and social benefits. Since some industries are particularly important for national and local economies, it is important to provide clarity about the expected net impact on employment across different sectors. This would also help policy-makers design well-targeted transitional policy measures to manage the negative impacts in some sectors as well as in national and local economies. There is also a need to understand the indirect effects on the economy (e.g., impacts on the value chain and/or changes in consumption spending patterns) in order to estimate the overall impacts at the national level. Additionally, some findings provide information on the employment potential of the circular economy in terms of the number of jobs it might create; much less emphasis has been placed in the literature on other social and employment impacts such as gender, skills, occupational and welfare effects, poverty and inequalities. This indicates that there is a need for more research that would address these aspects and also help policy-makers anticipate effects in different social groups.

scholarly journals A Case Study of a Negotiated Tender within a Small-to-Medium Construction Contractor: Modelling Project Cost Variance

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 260
Author(s):  
James Ellis ◽  
David John Edwards ◽  
Wellington Didibhuku Thwala ◽  
Obuks Ejohwomu ◽  
Ernest Effah Ameyaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Open Book ◽  
Competitive Tendering ◽  
Construction Contractor ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

This research explores the failure of competitively tendered projects in the UK construction industry to procure the most suited contractor(s) to conduct the works. Such work may have equal relevance for other developed nations globally. This research seeks to teach clients and their representatives that “lowest price” does not mean “best value”, by presenting a case study of a successfully negotiated tender undertaken by a small-to-medium enterprise (SME) contractor; SME studies are relatively scant in academic literature. By applying the “lessons learnt” principle, this study seeks to improve future practice through the development of a novel alternative procurement option (i.e., negotiation). A mixed philosophical stance combining interpretivism and pragmatism was used—interpretivism to critically review literature in order to form the basis of inductive research to discuss negotiation as a viable procurement route, and pragmatism to analyse perceptions of tendering and procurement. The methods used follow a three-stage waterfall process including: (1) literature review and pilot study; (2) quantitative analysis of case study data; and (3) qualitative data collection via a focus group. Our research underscores the need to advise clients and their representatives of the importance of understanding the scope of works allowed within a tender submission before discounting it based solely on price. In addition, we highlight the failings of competitive tendering, which results in increased costs and project duration once the works commence on site. These findings provide new contemporary insight into procurement and tendering in the construction industry, with emphasis on SME contractors, existing relationships, and open-book negotiation. This research illustrates the adverse effects of early cost estimates produced without first securing a true understanding of project buildability and programming. Our work concludes with a novel insight into an alternative procurement option that involves early SME contractor involvement in an open-book environment, without the need for a third-party cost control.

scholarly journals Dying to Go Green: The Introduction of Resomation in the United Kingdom

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Georgina M. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Alkaline Hydrolysis ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Religious Perspectives ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Hydrolysis Of

In an age where concern for the environment is paramount, individuals are continuously looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint—does this now extend to in one’s own death? How can one reduce the environmental impact of their own death? This paper considers various methods of disposing the human body after death, with a particular focus on the environmental impact that the different disposal techniques have. The practices of ‘traditional’ burial, cremation, ‘natural’ burial, and ‘resomation’ will be discussed, with focus on the prospective introduction of the funerary innovation of the alkaline hydrolysis of human corpses, trademarked as ‘Resomation’, in the United Kingdom. The paper situates this process within the history of innovative corpse disposal in the UK in order to consider how this innovation may function within the UK funeral industry in the future, with reference made to possible religious perspectives on the process.

scholarly journals Biopolymers from Natural Resources

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2532
Author(s):  
Rafael Balart ◽  
Daniel Garcia-Garcia ◽  
Vicent Fombuena ◽  
Luis Quiles-Carrillo ◽  
Marina P. Arrieta
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Renewable Resources

During the last decades, the increasing ecology in the reduction of environmental impact caused by traditional plastics is contributing to the growth of more sustainable plastics with the aim to reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources for their production [...]

scholarly journals Methodology for the quantification of concrete sustainability

2018 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 01006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Břetislav Teplý ◽  
Tomáš Vymazal ◽  
Pavla Rovnaníková
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Service Life ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Load Bearing Capacity ◽  
Sustainability Management

Efficient sustainability management requires the use of tools which allow material, technological and construction variants to be quantified, measured or compared. These tools can be used as a powerful marketing aid and as support for the transition to “circular economy”. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) procedures are also used, aside from other approaches. LCA is a method that evaluates the life cycle of a structure from the point of view of its impact on the environment. Consideration is given also to energy and raw material costs, as well as to environmental impact throughout the life cycle - e.g. due to emissions. The paper focuses on the quantification of sustainability connected with the use of various types of concrete with regard to their resistance to degradation. Sustainability coefficients are determined using information regarding service life and "eco-costs". The aim is to propose a suitable methodology which can simplify decision-making in the design and choice of concrete mixes from a wider perspective, i.e. not only with regard to load-bearing capacity or durability.

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