Comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of concrete mixtures: a critical review

Abstract

The scope of this study is to review recent publications in the area of the concrete manufacturing industry to study its the environmental impacts from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) perspective. This study also integrates LCA in recent publications, greenhouse gas emission, ozone layer, nutritionist, photochemical oxidation, impact on terrestrial ecotoxicity, and human toxicity on building material waste recycling. It also classifies different product stages and reviews different methodologies, assumptions, and limitations. The results show the effects of applying recycled aggregates and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) on the mechanical and durability properties of concrete have not been addressed well in the previous research works. In furtherance of this study, the significance of concrete mixes compared in the same range of compressive strength (CS) and equal service life, as well as the necessity of sensitivity analysis, have been discussed.

Keywords:

• Life cycle assessment
• service life
• supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs)
• recycled aggregate
• environmental impacts

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.