Author: INaB Administration

Numaru-eng

Utilization potentials of materials from deconstruction

Development of a method for the evaluation of building materials with regard to their technical, environmental and economic suitability for further use

In Europe, construction and demolition waste accounts for 35.9 ma.% of the total waste volume. In Germany, the recycling rate of construction waste was 88% in 2018, but about three quarters of the recycled aggregates are used in road construction or earthworks. For high-quality recycling of construction and demolition waste, the material properties, the type of demolition and the properties of the recyclate play an essential role.
Within the scope of the research project, a method is being developed that will be used to estimate and calculate characteristic values in order to enable investors and other constructors to assess the after-use potential of buildings already in the planning phase. The main objective of the project is to estimate future demolition costs and the residual value of demolition materials. Using real example data, treatment processes will be modeled and qualities of the residual materials derived from them, so that expected costs can be mapped in dynamic scenarios. The evaluation will take into account two dimensions of sustainability: Environment and Economy.
Based on the methods of life cycle costing (LCC) and life cycle assessment (LCA), the life cycle costs and environmental impacts of demolition and demolition materials are determined. For this purpose, different scenarios are developed that take into account different demolition methods as well as reprocessing processes and material qualities. For the development of the method, data on current and future demolition and demolition processes as well as reprocessing technologies will be collected and analyzed. Furthermore, the price development and the market value of the considered materials will be investigated. The method is intended to allow an early, yet holistic, assessment of the post-use potential of building components and materials. In addition, by coupling the LCC and LCA methods, trade-offs between costs and potential environmental impacts are identified, promoting the integration of sustainable circular economy approaches in the construction sector.
To analyze the economic aspects of the materials from deconstruction, in this project, INaB is carrying out a life cycle costing in parallel to the life cycle assessment of the project partners. Therefore, the real money flows (e.g. labor, material and energy costs) for deconstruction, transport and processing are taken into account and relevant data are compiled. The modeling is based on the Code of Practice of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). By modeling different scenarios, cost drivers and trade-offs are identified, also in relation to environmental impacts.

Funded by:
Innovationsprogramm Zukunft Bau des Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Stadtentwicklung und Bauwesen (BMWSB)

Project partners:
RB (RWTH)
ANTS (RWTH)

Contact:
M.Sc. Anna Luthin
Email:anna.luthin@inab.rwth-aachen.de

 

manou_CBI_latest

Definition of holistic sustainability criteria for transport infrastructure

In line with the Paris Agreement, the European Council supported the goal of making the EU climate-neutral by 2050. In order to attain sustainable development goals, it is vital to evaluate the sustainability of potential solutions while considering the design principles, building practices, and infrastructure materials (SDGs). Carbon footprint is a measure of total greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions created directly and indirectly by a person, organization, event, or product, covering emissions over the entire lifespan of that product or service. In order to choose the most “sustainable” option, calculated carbon footprints should be compared for alternative solutions Embodied carbon (EC), as an indicator of cumulative carbon emissions is used in the adopted solution, can be defined as the rate of CO2 emissions released in the extraction, manufacture, and transport of the Material. There has been an ever-increasing environmental awareness and recognition of the significance of reducing waste production and exploitation of non-renewable natural resources to promote sustainable development over the past few years.
The construction and road industry are one of the largest exploiters of both renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and it is inevitable that they would be at the center of concerns regarding environmental impact. The construction and operation of roads consumes a great deal of materials throughout its service life cycle. The selection and use of sustainable infrastructure materials play an important role in the design and construction of green infrastructure. Transportation and highway orientation has been putting sustainable and recyclable material to use for their superstructure and substructure resulting in great benefits for the road industry.
Permeable pavements provide new opportunities to unveil transportation infrastructure and to improve the urban climate. Because of limited durability, conventional materials for permeable pavements are used only selectively in urban areas. Thus, the development of innovative infrastructure materials for durable permeable pavements is required. A full substitution of bitumen by an innovative synthetic binder has been restrictively applied within road-construction engineering so far, although the performance potential as well as the characteristic versatility are very high. Particularly, regarding the considered exploitation of raw materials, polyurethane (PU) can be used as an alternative to bitumen.
The successful development of a high-tech pavement system can contribute to an efficient and permanent transportation infrastructure. Particularly regarding the limited durability of conventional Porous Asphalt (PA), permeable PU-asphalt represents a competitive alternative. The potential of PU-asphalt as a heavy-duty permeable pavement could be demonstrated on a laboratory scale. The mechanical and environmental performance of PU-asphalt are significantly increased compared to conventional reference materials.
RWTH Aachen University’s Institute of Sustainability in Civil Engineering (INaB) is collaborating with the Center for Building and Infrastructure Engineering (CBI) to create a framework for sustainability assessment of superstructure in road pavement. As a project partner, INaB aims to develop a science-based sustainability assessment system that can be applied to other structures. The project is divided into two modules: one for sustainability assessment of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and the other for life cycle assessment of PU asphalt.
The framework for the LCA is defined as functional unit definition, mentioning the reference flows, defining the scope and system boundaries, and the calculation method for conducting the LCA. The life cycle assessment for PU asphalt consists of material extraction, production, and construction as cradle to gate assessment. It is then compared with the conventional scenario, followed by sensitivity and hotspot analysis.

Contact: Manouchehr Shokri M.Sc.
Tel.: +49 241 80 22766
E-Mail: manouchehr.shokri@inab.rwth-aachen.de

CBI

Definition of holistic sustainability criteria for transport infrastructure

In line with the Paris Agreement, the European Council supported the goal of making the EU climate-neutral by 2050. In order to attain sustainable development goals, it is vital to evaluate the sustainability of potential solutions while considering the design principles, building practices, and infrastructure materials (SDGs). Carbon footprint is a measure of total greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions created directly and indirectly by a person, organization, event, or product, covering emissions over the entire lifespan of that product or service. In order to choose the most “sustainable” option, calculated carbon footprints should be compared for alternative solutions Embodied carbon (EC), as an indicator of cumulative carbon emissions is used in the adopted solution, can be defined as the rate of CO2 emissions released in the extraction, manufacture, and transport of the Material. There has been an ever-increasing environmental awareness and recognition of the significance of reducing waste production and exploitation of non-renewable natural resources to promote sustainable development over the past few years.

The construction and road industry are one of the largest exploiters of both renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and it is inevitable that they would be at the center of concerns regarding environmental impact. The construction and operation of roads consumes a great deal of materials throughout its service life cycle. The selection and use of sustainable infrastructure materials play an important role in the design and construction of green infrastructure. Transportation and highway orientation has been putting sustainable and recyclable material to use for their superstructure and substructure resulting in great benefits for the road industry.

Permeable pavements provide new opportunities to unveil transportation infrastructure and to improve the urban climate. Because of limited durability, conventional materials for permeable pavements are used only selectively in urban areas. Thus, the development of innovative infrastructure materials for durable permeable pavements is required. A full substitution of bitumen by an innovative synthetic binder has been restrictively applied within road-construction engineering so far, although the performance potential as well as the characteristic versatility are very high. Particularly, regarding the considered exploitation of raw materials, polyurethane (PU) can be used as an alternative to bitumen.

The successful development of a high-tech pavement system can contribute to an efficient and permanent transportation infrastructure. Particularly regarding the limited durability of conventional Porous Asphalt (PA), permeable PU-asphalt represents a competitive alternative. The potential of PU-asphalt as a heavy-duty permeable pavement could be demonstrated on a laboratory scale. The mechanical and environmental performance of PU-asphalt are significantly increased compared to conventional reference materials.

RWTH Aachen University’s Institute of Sustainability in Civil Engineering (INaB) is collaborating with the Center for Building and Infrastructure Engineering (CBI) to create a framework for sustainability assessment of superstructure in road pavement. As a project partner, INaB aims to develop a science-based sustainability assessment system that can be applied to other structures. The project is divided into two modules: one for sustainability assessment of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and the other for life cycle assessment of PU asphalt.
The framework for the LCA is defined as functional unit definition, mentioning the reference flows, defining the scope and system boundaries, and the calculation method for conducting the LCA. The life cycle assessment for PU asphalt consists of material extraction, production, and construction as cradle to gate assessment. It is then compared with the conventional scenario, followed by sensitivity and hotspot analysis.

Contact: Manouchehr Shokri M.Sc.
Tel.: +49 241 80 22766
E-Mail: manouchehr.shokri@inab.rwth-aachen.de