Material consumption and waste generation have increased since the mid-2010s

Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Kikki Lambrecht Ipsen ◽  
Massimo Pizzol ◽  
Morten Birkved ◽  
Ben Amor

The building sector is responsible for extensive resource consumption and waste generation, resulting in high pressure on the environment. A way to potentially mitigate this is by including environmental considerations during building design through the concept known as eco-design. Despite the multiple available approaches of eco-design, the latter is not easily achieved in the building sector. The objective of this paper is to identify and discuss what barriers are currently hindering the implementation of eco-design in the building sector and by which measures building designers can include environmental considerations in their design process. Through a systematic literature review, several barriers to implementation were identified, the main ones being lack of suitable legislation, lack of knowledge amongst building designers, and lack of suitable tools for designers to use. Furthermore, two specific tools were identified that allow the inclusion of environmental consideration in building design, along with nine design strategies providing qualitative guidance on how to potentially minimize energy and material consumption, as well as waste generation. This paper contributes a holistic overview of the major barriers to and existing tools and method for the eco-design of buildings, and provides guidance for both future research and practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-87
Author(s):  
Walter Batista Bonfim ◽  
Igor Mazon Carvalho ◽  
Heber Martins De Paula

RESUMO: A construção civil tem sido reconhecida como uma atividade responsável por grande degradação ambiental. Assim, a maior sustentabilidade nesse setor da economia pode ser melhorada através da adoção de “tecnologias limpas”, de forma a minimizar os impactos ambientais em termos de geração de resíduos e consumo de energia e materiais tradicionais. Ainda pouco estudada, a utilização da lama residual de concreto (LRC) como material alternativo para produção de argamassas pode ser uma alternativa viável. Assim sendo, o presente artigo tem como objetivo avaliar o desempenho mecânico de argamassas produzidas com a lama residual de concreto seca (LRC-S) como substituto total e parcial da cal hidratada, avaliando o seu comportamento por meio de ensaios de consistência, resistência à tração na flexão e à compressão, absorção de água por capilaridade e densidade. No estado fresco, foi constatado que a utilização da LRC-S possui um impacto negativo na trabalhabilidade das argamassas, sobretudo para taxas de substituição superiores a 75%, em massa. Por outro lado, a substituição da cal hidratada, em até 50% em massa, se mostra viável, apresentando propriedades mecânicas equivalentes ao traço tomado como referência. ABSTRACT: Civil construction has been recognized as an activity responsible for major environmental degradation. Therefore, greater sustainability in this sector of the economy can be improved by adopting “clean technologies” to minimize environmental impacts in terms of waste generation and energy and material consumption. Still little studied, the use of concrete sludge waste (CSW) as an alternative material for the production of mortars can be a viable alternative. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the mechanical performance of mortars produced with dry sludge as a total and partial substitute for hydrated lime, evaluating its behavior through tests of consistency, flexural strength and compression, water absorption by capillarity and density. In the fresh state, it was found that the use of CSW has a negative impact on the workability of mortars, especially for replacement rates above 75% by mass. On the other hand, the substitution of hydrated lime, up to 50% by mass, is feasible, presenting mechanical properties equivalent to the mix taken as reference.


Author(s):  
Kriti Jain ◽  
Chirag Shah

The increasing volume and complexity of waste associated with the modern economy as due to the ranging population, is posing a serious risk to ecosystems and human health. Every year, an estimated 11.2 billion tonnes of solid waste is collected worldwide and decay of the organic proportion of solid waste is contributing about 5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions (UNEP). Poor waste management - ranging from non-existing collection systems to ineffective disposal causes air pollution, water and soil contamination. Open and unsanitary landfills contribute to contamination of drinking water and can cause infection and transmit diseases. The dispersal of debris pollutes ecosystems and dangerous substances from waste or garbage puts a strain on the health of urban dwellers and the environment. India, being second most populated country of the world that too with the lesser land area comparatively, faces major environmental challenges associated with waste generation and inadequate waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal. Population explosion, coupled with improved life style of people, results in increased generation of solid wastes in urban as well as rural areas of the country. The challenges and barriers are significant, but so are the opportunities. A priority is to move from reliance on waste dumps that offer no environmental protection, to waste management systems that retain useful resources within the economy [2]. Waste segregation at source and use of specialized waste processing facilities to separate recyclable materials has a key role. Disposal of residual waste after extraction of material resources needs engineered landfill sites and/or investment in waste-to-energy facilities. This study focusses on the minimization of the waste and gives the brief about the various initiations for proper waste management system. Hence moving towards the alternatives is the way to deal with these basic problems. This paper outlines various advances in the area of waste management. It focuses on current practices related to waste management initiatives taken by India. The purpose of this article put a light on various initiatives in the country and locates the scope for improvement in the management of waste which will also clean up the unemployment.


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