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Preliminary components of bio-based material, according to one square meter for the thickness necessary to produce 1 K m 2 /W.
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This study shows the benefits of using the environmental product declarations (EPDs), based on ISO 14025:2013, for the configuration and conceptualization of new building materials. Using a quantitative evaluation on these phases of design, it allows one to create materials with lower impacts, in comparison with the existing ones. In this paper, it...
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... in the article are listed all the raw materials required for two configurations (Tables 1 and 2), in the units required to produce 1 m 2 of insulation panel for the thickness necessary to provide a 1 K·m 2 /W of thermal resistance on international system units (RSI), in accordance with the functional unit defined by the PCR. The components are the result of the early phases of conceptualization and experimentation, and its configuration is easy to change, because it has not scaled to industrial production and its composition is not definitive. ...Context 2
... evaluation of the environmental impacts was performed with SimaPro ® , using some of the characterization methods provided by the EPD 2013 [28], are shown in Table 12. The EPD 2013 models the results listed in the data collection and results and discussion section, with the rest of the information required, transportation, energy, and the residuum of the transformation. ...Context 3
... comparative analysis between the two listed configurations of biobased materials shows that the first composition had a considerable decrease in the environmental impacts, assessed by the EPD (Table 12 and Figure 2). This first configuration, which is mainly composed of clay and pineapple by-products, has a better performance than the second one where PLA was added. ...Context 4
... material has 71.7% of the acidification impacts, 50.2% of eutrophication impacts, 62.4% of the global warming potential impacts, 81% of photochemical oxidation impacts, 82.3% of the abiotic depletion impacts and 61.9% of the abiotic depletion of fossil fuels impacts. Hence, it is one of the highest contributors as a raw material in the environmental impacts at this designing stage (Table 13). ...Context 5
... the comparison between materials with the same function is necessary to give a reference for the levels of sustainability. To achieve that, the results should be compared with other commercial products used for the same functional use, which is also EPD certificated and published in the international EPD system [23,28] (Tables 14 and 15). As the final part of the study , Tables 14 and 15 show the EPD results calculation, as well as the results declared by nine insulation materials in the international EPD system. ...Context 6
... achieve that, the results should be compared with other commercial products used for the same functional use, which is also EPD certificated and published in the international EPD system [23,28] (Tables 14 and 15). As the final part of the study , Tables 14 and 15 show the EPD results calculation, as well as the results declared by nine insulation materials in the international EPD system. From the same Tables, it can be observed that, even when one impact category is zero, the others may not be neglected; therefore, all materials contribute to the global environmental problems in different ways. ...Context 7
... the same Tables, it can be observed that, even when one impact category is zero, the others may not be neglected; therefore, all materials contribute to the global environmental problems in different ways. Although our proposal leads to some impact assessment categories' higher values than the reported by commercially available materials listed in Tables 14 and 15, one should pay attention to the fact that, even when there are more insulation materials on the market, these are the only ones with environmental impact declarations up to 2019. ...Citations
... Other tools with significant potential to optimize passive measures and design choices -Materials and resources: Environment ally friendly sound and thermal insulation materials -low embodied carbon materials -Using material that emitted less Co2 emissions during its life cycle such as precast concrete as alternative to reinforced concrete -EPD contains the data extracted from the LCA application on a material.it describes the environmental impacts of a material depending on six indicators (global warming potential, eutrophication, acidification, ozone depletion, photochemical oxidation, and abiotic depletion, through models recognized by ISO 14025:2006 [26] -Using EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) of materials -Reduction of overall material use -Using green concrete Concrete contains environmentally friendly alternative to cement such as silica fume and materials from demolition wastes process [24] -Structural optimization (lightweight structured) ...
The building sector contributes to a large amount of energy consumption and carbon emissions. Moving towards decarbonization practices becomes a strategic target. Although there are energy building codes and a green building rating system developed by the Egyptian government, they have not been widely implemented in the building sector due to different barriers. This paper investigates the gap between the theories of decarbonization principles and the adoption of these principles in practice in the Egyptian building sector. A semi-structured questionnaire is developed at the first stage to identify the common barriers, then a questionnaire survey includes 18 decarbonization measures collected from GPRS (Green Pyramids Rating System), EDGE (Excellence Design for Greater Efficiency), and the regional roadmap for buildings and construction in Africa is distributed among experts to evaluate the availability of implementing these measures in the building sector and identify a check list of the most plausible measures that would be applicable for the Egyptian building sector.
... A technical procedure has been carried out through the Methodology for the Development of Construction Materials with Low Environmental Impact in Mexico [1] to identify, evaluate and measure the environmental impacts that produces the material proposed in this paper. To establish a comparative analysis, we considered previous reports regarding with a traditional brick or fired bricks emissions of CO 2 and other gases into the atmosphere [68,47]. ...
Large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO 2) are emitted to the atmosphere during the traditional burning brick process, taking part in the construction industry affectations. This paper presents an alternative way that faces environmental issues by using low-Impact materials in construction; for this purpose, it is proposed the formulation of an admixture for the fabrication of unfired clay bricks. Three different clay-base formulations were developed to analyze their behavior underwater, plasticity, and drying time to determinate the best one to get an unfired brick. The sample with the better performance underwater was tested to water absorption and compressive strength tests. Results show that it is possible to obtain an unfired clay-based material utilizing low environmental impact admixtures to elaborate construction bricks. Finally, a Life Cycle Analysis assessment was conducted to determine CO 2 emissions when utilizing the propossed formulation.
... Indeed, all but two studied circular bio-based building materials have a lower influence on climate than conventional materials. Particularly, the insulation panel made from the pineapple industry by-product [76] is still in the development stage and may have additional areas for improvement to reduce its negative impacts. Meanwhile, a circular bio-based wall panel with straw board and sheep wool [13] has a higher impact than conventional materials because of its higher thickness and overall weight and due to the transportation and manufacturing impacts of some bio-based materials, which may have the potential to be overcome. ...
... Despite the potential benefits, research suggests using circular bio-based building materials may not always result in reduced environmental impacts. For example, compared to polystyrene, expanded cork agglomerate has higher ozone depletion, acidification potential and eutrophication impacts [102], while the insulation panel made from pineapple byproduct has worse impacts on climate change, ozone depletion and abiotic resource use [76]. Likewise, cardboard panels made from recycled cardboard perform worse than cellulose panels in land use and abiotic resource categories [103], etc. ...
... Cork waste [102,104] Cork insulation board [28] Cork slab [105] Cork boards [106] Hemp hurds Hemp [107] Fired clay bricks Wheat straw, olive stone flour [108] Composite Cork, flax fibres [109] Biocomposites Hemp shiv [17] Lightweight brick Oyster shells, rice straw [54] Bio-based panel Residual coniferous bark [96] Bio-based panel Pineapple by-products [76] Bio-epoxy composite board Recycled cellulose, sheep wool waste [53] Bio-based wall panels Straw board, Sheep wool [13] Mortar Spent coffee grounds [92] Coffee chaff Coffee chaff [110] Hempcrete Hemp shives/hurds [111,112] Rice husk panels Rice husk [113] Insulation panels Waste paper [114] Insulation materials made from paper wool Old newsprint [49,50] Cardboard-based panel Recovered paper and cardboard [103] New concrete or binder/filler for concrete/mortar ...
Circular bio-based building materials are “materials wholly or partly derived from renewable biological origins, or by-products and biowaste of plant and/or animal biomass that can be used as raw building materials and decorating items in construction, in their original forms or after being reprocessed”. Literature shows that using these materials can represent a coherent solution to mitigate the climate impacts of the building sector according to the circular economy model. However, previous studies are fragmented due to the heterogeneity in the studied material types, scales of case studies, and sustainability assessment methods applied. Therefore, this systematic and bibliometric literature review of 97 articles aims to categorise case studies, review the state-of-the-art of sustainability assessment of case studies and highlight the pros and cons of circular bio-based building materials. Results indicate that the material scale is the most researched compared to the other scales. Environmental analysis, primarily employing life cycle assessment, is the most frequently researched, followed by economic analysis, while social impact research is still in an early stage. Concerning the pros and cons, circular bio-based building materials outperform traditional materials in reducing initial production costs and mitigating environmental impacts, especially climate change and abiotic resource use. However, some materials perform worse in categories like eutrophication, land use, etc., and may not be economically viable from an entire life cycle perspective.
... EPD has grown to be one of the largest sources of construction materials LCA data that is acceptable in many developed countries and used in assessing the sustainability of a building for decision-making (Strazza et al., 2016;Arellano-Vazquez et al., 2020;Palumbo et al., 2020). The major purpose of EPD is to provide a quantified environmental impact of a product in an sorganised manner (Bovea et al., 2014). ...
Construction materials environmental product declaration (EPD) is becoming an essential data source for whole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA). In recent years, EPD programme operators have begun to digitalise the existing EPDs into a more useful data format through an electronic database. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the quality of EPD inserted in this electronic database in order to produce a reliable WBLCA. This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework for data quality assurance (DQA) in the EPD electronic database. The paper methodology is divided into two phases. Firstly, existing works of literature were examined to reveal the methods or technologies that can support DQA in an electronic database. Secondly, ten EPDs were reviewed to ascertain the data structure of existing EPDs, which will be used to determine the data to be extracted in the EPD electronic database. The information generated was used to develop a conceptual framework for a DQA embedded database design for construction materials EPD. The paper revealed that the Clark-Wilson model, blockchain and machine learning could enhance DQA in EPD electronic database. These findings have direct implications for the development of future electronic databases for EPDs. Future studies would leverage this conceptual framework to develop a working prototype for the EPD electronic database.
... EPD has grown to be one of the largest sources of construction materials LCA data that is acceptable in many developed countries and used in assessing the sustainability of a building for decision-making (Strazza et al., 2016;Arellano-Vazquez et al., 2020;Palumbo et al., 2020). The major purpose of EPD is to provide a quantified environmental impact of a product in an sorganised manner (Bovea et al., 2014). ...
The global sustainability movement has developed a variety of new design and building methodologies. Regenerative Design (RD) focuses on understanding the dynamic relationship between people, a place and ecosystems. By weaving together the natural and social systems, RD maximises humans' and nature's creativeness and abundance. Projects are not seen as an end product but rather as the beginning of a process that will continue to evolve long after completion. RD approaches to building are receiving increased attention in industry and academia. In this context, developing a clear shared understanding and evaluating the practical implications of this new approach remains an open issue. This critical review attempts to fill this gap by reviewing the concept, its aims, the existence of any performance measurement criteria, design methods and the expected outcomes of the RD approach to design and building. A summary process workflow diagram and an Assessment Methodology (AM) for evaluating RD project progress are proposed. The AM is presented as a series of questions to be answered qualitatively and quantitatively to aid track progress through time. Both diagram and AM may become valuable tools for further discussion about the methodological implications of RD project delivery for the architecture profession and for upgrading architectural education accordingly.
... The energy demand for air conditioning can be greatly reduced through thermal insulation of the outer walls of a building. A good insulating material typically contains small internal spaces to trap air (a naturally poor conductor) and minimize its movement to suppress convective heat transfer [1][2][3]. In addition, a thermal insulating material for buildings must be non-flammable, non-toxic and durable. ...
Internally structured porous calcium-silicate-hydrate (CSH) particles were made by a simple template-assisted sol–gel process involving an inexpensive and renewably produced templating material (skimmed natural rubber (NR), a waste generated during production of concentrated rubber latex) and a cheap silica source (sodium silicate). The CSH particles were then added to cement to produce mortar with excellent thermal insulation performance. Effects of the following factors on morphology, porosity, crystallinity and thermal insulation performance of CSH and CSH-mortar were studied: the CSH synthesis parameters (time and temperature for hydrothermal aging; the NR/silica mass ratio) and CSH/cement mass ratio in mortar. The CSH particles produced were mainly amorphous. The tobermorite and truscottite phases developed as both the time and temperature of hydrothermal aging were increased; however, a high value of NR/silica mass ratio hindered crystallization. Irrespective of the presence of crystalline phases, CSH particles improved the thermal insulation performance of mortars. The crystallization affected the meso- and macropores within the CSH solids and contributed to enhancing their thermal insulation performance. The NR template was crucial to develop the porous structure that enhanced the thermal insulation performance of CSH and the mortar incorporating it.
... Due to the higher weight of inclusion of Ardente et al. (2008), their results of binders and resins as the main sources of impacts appears more likely in the view of this review. Further fiber based materials, such as pineapple peel (Arellano-Vazquez et al., 2020), rice straw (Boonterm et al., 2016), or eucalyptus bark (Casas-Ledón et al., 2020) also have additives and binders as the main cause of environmental impact. Diverging from this are the waste fibers analyzed by Usubharatana and Phungrassami (2019) which have the extraction processes and especially chemicals needed for the fiber production as the main impact sources. ...
Thermal insulation of buildings is a key factor in reducing the environmental impact of the building sector by lowering the energy demand of buildings for heating and cooling. The choice of material for the thermal insulation has become more important with the rising need for sustainability. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a common tool to assess the environmental impact of products or services. This study reviews the available literature on LCA of building thermal insulation materials in a structured literature review. The aim was to provide an overview over the literature, critically assess the methodology used as well as the results of the LCAs, especially to identify the potential of renewable based thermal insulation. This review covered 47 studies on building thermal insulation materials in total and developed a pedigree matrix to assess the quality of the articles. The results show at times significant methodological issues and a lack of transparency on the implementation of methods within the LCA framework. For the comparative LCA results, the review suggests that among the market leading materials, EPS, Stone wool, and Glass wool are highly similar in their impact. Other materials such as XPS or PUR show overall higher impacts in the majority of categories. The results further suggest that renewable based materials tend to have a lower environmental impact, but are not necessarily better. The main cause of impact for non-renewable organic materials is the raw material and for inorganic materials the production process, while the most common main driver of impacts for renewable based materials are binders and additives. This highlights further potential for improvement for the environmental impact of renewable based thermal insulation materials by lowering the need for additives.
... Considering the potential adverse environmental effects, several LCA calculation methods have been introduced to cover sufficiently the potential burden. Among others, CML-IA, ILCD 2011 Midpoint, Impact 2002+, EPS 2015, EPD, EDIP were recognized in several research papers as suitable tools for the determination of environmental effects [35][36][37][38][39]. The main differences usually consist in the level of detail of potential environmental impacts, as well as the capability to distinguish midpoint and endpoint (damage) assessment. ...
Alkali-activated materials research presents currently a hot topic in materials science mainly because of the potentially significant savings of carbon dioxide emissions compared to Portland cement. A broad range of precursors was studied to highlight the environmental and functional benefits related to the utilization of local materials or waste products. However, the negatives associated with the application of commercial alkaline activators, such as sodium hydroxide or sodium silicate, which can pose a significant environmental risk in some impact categories, were often overlooked. In this study, the potential of waste solidified alkalis originated in industrial operations as primary activators of aluminosilicate precursors is analyzed. At the functional and environmental evaluation of designed alkali activated aluminosilicates, basic physical characteristics and mechanical parameters represent the functional properties, the LCA analysis at midpoint and endpoint levels describes the environmental impacts. The mechanical performance is found satisfactory for construction materials, the comparison of environmental parameters with widely used commercial activators shows substantial benefits boosted by the avoided production of neutralization agents used for the stabilization of waste alkalis.
Using circular bio-based building materials is considered a promising solution to reduce the environmental impacts of the construction industry. To identify the pros and cons of these materials, it is essential to investigate their sustainability performance. However, the previous sustainability assessment studies are heterogeneous regarding the assessment methods and objectives, highlighting the need for a review to identify and analyse these aspects. Moreover, there is still a lack of studies reviewing the methodological issues and implications of the assessment methods, as well as the current end-of-life scenarios and circularity options for these materials. To address these gaps, this study conducts a systematic and critical review of a sample of 97 articles. The results indicate that Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most frequently applied method, yet most studies are cradle-to-gate analyses of materials. Otherwise, very few studies consider the end-of-life phase, and most of the end-of-life scenarios analysed are unsustainable and have low circularity levels. The analysis also highlights the methodological issues of the assessment methods used, with a particular focus on LCA, such as a lack of consensus on system boundaries, functional units, and databases for facilitating sustainability assessments associated with the use of circular bio-based building materials. Two primary recommendations emerge from the analysis. Firstly, for LCA studies, it is recommended to increase transparency and harmonisation in assessments to improve the comparability of results. Besides, to overcome data availability issues, it is recommended to use data from multiple sources and conduct sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. Secondly, more sustainability assessments (including the three pillars) considering the whole life cycle with more sustainable end-of-life scenarios and circularity options for these materials should be conducted.
The impacts and benefits of thermal insulations on saving operational energy have been widely investigated and well-documented. Recently, many studies have shifted their focus to comparing the environmental impacts and CO2 emission-related policies of these materials, which are mostly the Embodied Energy (EE) and Global Warming Potential (GWP). In this paper, machine learning techniques were used to analyse the untapped aspect of these environmental impacts. A collection of over 120 datasets from reliable open-source databases including Okobaudat and Ecoinvent, as well as from the scientific literature containing data from the Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), was compiled and analysed. Comparisons of Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression, and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) regression methods were completed for the prediction task. The experimental results revealed that MLR, SVR, and LASSO methods outperformed the XGBoost method according to both the K-Fold and Monte-Carlo cross-validation techniques. MLR, SVR, and LASSO achieved 0.85/0.73, 0.82/0.72, and 0.85/0.71 scores according to the R2 measure for the Monte-Carlo/K-Fold cross-validations, respectively, and the XGBoost overfitted the training set, showing it to be less reliable for this task. Overall, the results of this task will contribute to the selection of effective yet low-energy-intensive thermal insulation, thus mitigating environmental impacts.
