Ecological Footprint Assessment of Concrete: Partial Replacement of Cement by Water Treatment Sludge and Stone Dust

Abstract

Currently, most concrete industries use conventional cement (Ordinary Portland Cement) as a binding material which involves natural resource depletion, colossal CO2 emissions, and a huge energy supply. The present study addresses this critical issue by using stone dust (sun-dried and calcinated) and water treatment sludge (sun-dried and calcinated) to replace cement partly in M20-grade concrete production. The environmental impact of ready-mixed concrete (RMC) production with conventional cement and partially replaced cement by other cementitious material, i.e., stone dust and water treatment sludge in concrete, is assessed through ecological footprint (EF) indicator. Moreover, a novel sustainability index is proposed for ready-mixed concrete plants to scale the environmental impact of different types of concrete (or grades) on the sustainability scale (environmental, social, and economic sustainability). The results showed that the sun-dried water treatment sludge and sun-dried stone dust could effectively replace cement (15% by weight) in the concrete, with a comparable compressive strength over the M20 ready-mixed concrete. The EF of conventional M20 RMC is estimated to be 0.02295 gha/m3. The EF of concrete (with sun-dried water treatment sludge) is reduced by 13.14% of the conventional ready-mixed concrete. The Ecological Sustainability Index (ESI) of the ready-mixed concrete plant is estimated to be 718.42 $/gha. Using water treatment sludge and stone dust in concrete production can be an innovative solution because it simultaneously solves the problem of waste disposal, large carbon emissions, cost, and high environmental impact.