From prospecting to mining: A review of enabling technologies, LCAs, and LCCAs for improved construction and demolition waste management

Jingbo Jiang; Chunli Chu; Lulu Song; Xiaofeng Gao; Beijia Huang; Yufei Zhang; Yi Zhang; Ying Liu; Lijing Hou; Meiting Ju; Zhi Cao

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2023.01.017

From prospecting to mining: A review of enabling technologies, LCAs, and LCCAs for improved construction and demolition waste management

Waste Manag. 2023 Mar 15:159:12-26. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2023.01.017. Epub 2023 Jan 31.

Authors

Jingbo Jiang¹, Chunli Chu², Lulu Song³, Xiaofeng Gao⁴, Beijia Huang⁵, Yufei Zhang⁶, Yi Zhang⁶, Ying Liu⁶, Lijing Hou⁶, Meiting Ju⁶, Zhi Cao⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China; Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100029, China.
² College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China. Electronic address: chucl@nankai.edu.cn.
³ Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, Fujian Province 361021, China; Xiamen Key Lab of Urban Metabolism, Xiamen, Fujian Province 361021, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China.
⁵ Department of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
⁶ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China.
⁷ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China; Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings (EMIB), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp 2020, Belgium. Electronic address: zhi.cao@uantwerpen.be.

PMID: 36731253
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2023.01.017

Abstract

Knowledge gained from anthropogenic resource prospecting can shed light on the theoretical potential of secondary resources stored in anthropogenic systems. Among others, secondary resources accumulated in the built environment account for a big fraction of anthropogenic resources, indicating great potential for urban mining. However, realizing these opportunities and developing urban mining strategies will require a comprehensive understanding of the technical viability of urban mining technologies, and how their implementation will affect the technical, economic, and environmental performance of a construction and demolition waste (C&DW) management system. To address these important issues, this review summarizes (1) current and emerging technologies that can enable the transition from anthropogenic resource prospecting to anthropogenic resource mining, (2) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) results to date on various C&DW management systems, (3) key parameters that govern the technical, economic, and environmental performance of a C&DW management system, and (4) opportunities for improving the methodology of LCAs and LCCAs for future C&DW management. We find that enhancing the utility of extant LCAs and LCCAs in guiding technology deployment and policy decisions can be achieved by considering key parameters governing the techno-economic and environmental performance of C&DW management. In addition, it is critical to adopt and upscale emerging technologies to increase the added value of materials or products recovered from C&DW.

Keywords: Construction and demolition waste management; Harmonization and parameterization; LCA; LCCA; Urban mining; prospective LCA.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Construction Industry*
Construction Materials
Recycling
Waste Management* / methods