Life cycle analysis of reinforced concrete floor slab through three different waste management scenarios

Abstract

This paper presents a life cycle analysis (LCA) of a reinforced concrete floor slab with special emphasis on the end of life (EoL). Three EoL waste management scenarios were presented: Scenario I (current situation of construction and demolition waste management in the Republic of Croatia), Scenario II (100% landfilling of construction and demolition waste), and Scenario III (complete recycling of construction and demolition waste). The aim of this study is to demonstrate the environmental benefits of recycling in terms of sustainable construction and to determine the phases in the life of reinforced concrete floor slabs that have the greatest negative impact on the environment. From the analysis, the largest negative contribution to the environmental impacts is in the production phase, which includes the supply of raw materials, their processing, and the transportation of products to the concrete and reinforcement plants. EoL analysis showed that the manner in which construction and demolition waste is managed has a significant impact on the values of the impact categories of human toxicity (HTP), freshwater and marine aquatic ecotoxicity (FAETP and MAETP), terrestrial ecotoxicity (TETP), and eutrophication (EP). Conducting an LCA focusing on the EoL is critical, as it can provide valuable insights into the environmental impacts of the disposal phase and help develop strategies for sustainable waste management.