Montserrat Zamorano

University of Granada | UGR · Department of Civil Engineering

The environmental problems associated with the construction sector have promoted the worldwide scientific community to pay attention to the use of recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste. SciMAT and VOSviewer bibliometric tools have been applied in order to analyse, quantify and visualise the conceptual and social aspects of this...

It is essential to design buildings that take on the dynamics of the climate throughout their entire life cycle, guaranteeing the development of a building stock that is certainly sustainable and resilient. This study's main objective is to demonstrate that the official Spanish climate zones for building do not represent the current climatic condit...

Development must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability; it is for this reason that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are integrated, in fact, action in one of them will affect outcomes in others. In consequence, research on the SDGs is broad, complex, and fragmented due to the great diversity of disciplines and approache...

The circular economy (CE) concept applied to construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a developing field of research that entails a large amount of complex and disjointed information; thus, a comprehensive review of scientific contributions could provide a completed perspective. This article aims to analyse the existing knowledge of CE research a...

In recent years, research findings and pronouncements by international organisations have recognised the usefulness and timeliness of advancing public policies to promote sustainable building. However, in many parts of the world, governmental measures have limited their scope mainly to energy efficiency in housing use. In the same vein, some experi...

The Kiteezi landfill is the only landfill in Uganda, and it is currently facing significant environmental and sustainability challenges. Therefore, an assessment is needed for a comprehensive quantification of the landfill’s impact to guide decision making regarding management and remediation. This study aimed to quantify the environmental impact o...

In the current context of the climate crisis, it is essential to design buildings that can cope with climate dynamics throughout their life cycle. It will ensure the development of sustainable and resilient building stock. Thus, this study’s primary objective has been to demonstrate that the current climatic zones for buildings in peninsular Spain...

Although the need for sustainability of waste disposal sites (WDS) is largely agreed upon by various stakeholders, there is still a limitation in evaluating sites' sustainability. This study aimed to define ecological sustainability for WDS and develop a framework for its assessment. A WDS's ecological sustainability was defined as the site's capac...

Many factors and aspects of the construction and operation of buildings depend on climatic parameters and climatic zones, so these will be fundamental for adapting and mitigating the effects of climate change. For this reason, the number of climate-oriented publications in building is increasing. This research presents an analysis on the most-cited...

In the context of climate change, it is difficult to maintain the energy performance of houses, especially in countries with building codes that regulate the maximum allowed amount of energy that a building can consume. For this reason, there is a need for a review of building standards and adaptation to the context of energy performance in plannin...

Increased use of concrete in the construction industry worldwide, along with the negative impact of the use of nonrenewable materials such as aggregates and cement for making concrete, has led to a growing production of greener concrete. Excessive use of aggregates depletes natural resources, and inconsiderate quarrying and mining activities to ext...

Valorization of municipal solid waste (MSW) plays a crucial role in a sustainable society and provides an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions. The economic and social viability of the treatment of the organic fraction of MSW (OFMSW) with a multi-scenario analysis (composting and anaerobic digestion for renewable electricity or for biomethane inj...

Level(s) is a common European Union framework of core sustainability indicators for measuring the performance of buildings along their life cycle, enabling emissions reductions and circular resource flows. A fundamental tool for the development of European policies to boost the market for sustainable, resilient and climate change adapted buildings....

The need for new energy sources and the problems associated with waste in the agroforestry industry are an opportunity for the recovery of this waste. For the use of this agricultural waste as energy, different pretreatments, such as torrefaction, can be carried out. Torrefaction is a thermochemical treatment involving energetic densification of bi...

The construction sector is characterised by high resource consumption and waste production. Consequently, current European policy aims for maximum use of available resources through converting waste into new raw materials. In this context, using recycled aggregates in less demanding technical applications, such as pieces for urban furniture, could...

The organic fraction is usually the predominant fraction in municipal solid waste, so its recycling is a potential alternative to disposal in landfill sites, as well as helping to reach targets included in the European Circular Economy Package. The existing body of knowledge in this research field is very large, so a comprehensive review of the exi...

The challenge of sustainable cities involves rethinking some infrastructure systems and supply chains, including those for energy and waste. In this sense, the injection of green gas as biomethane into the natural gas network could contribute to the reduction of waste in landfills and to the decarbonisation of energy systems. Positive and negative...

Global climate change is changing meteorological parameters and climate zones for building in different parts of the world, as well as changing energy consumption by dwellings. Therefore, in this study, changes in climatic zones for building in three regions in southern Chile have been analysed under the conditions of two future climatic scenarios...

In the present study, residue from olive groves has been used for the manufacture of clay ceramic bricks as a new environmentally-friendly solution. For this purpose, waste products of olive cultivation, such as olive prunings, leaves and wood, were ground to obtain a particle size of 0–2 mm; 7.5%, 15% and 25% of olive waste was added to the clay,...

The main aim of this study has been to determine the influence of total water to cement ratio, recycled fine aggregate from construction and demolition waste, and air entraining/plasticizer admixture on the properties of masonry mortar. Two mortar series were prepared using varying percentages of dry or pre-soaked recycled fine aggregate to replace...

Efficient use of available resources, through the conversion of produced waste into secondary raw materials, has become a priority of the EU’s Waste Policy. Most notably in the Building Industry, the use of recycled materials depends mainly on its application. It is for this reason that the non-structural concrete precasts are such an attractive op...

Rice straw is attractive as a fuel for heat and power generation. High amount of straw is generated annually from rice cultivation in Valencia. This amount could be converted to a valuable energy product such as gas through direct combustion, biogas from anaerobic digestion, syngas through gasification or in the form of liquid as bio-oil from pyrol...

One of the main sectors responsible for the acceleration of climate change and the depletion of natural resources is the construction industry. This industry is responsible for using 40-50% of the Earth's energy and increasing the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. In this context, it is essential to study regional climates in order to fo...

In the last century growth and densification of the cities has generated serious environmental, social and economic impacts, for example effect 'Heat island', increase of the CO 2 emissions and energetic consumption, decrease of the surfaces of green spaces and risk of floods. In order to improve urban sustainability some measures are demanded, as...

The researchfield concerning sustainable building assessment methods is broad, complex and fragmented due tothe great diversity of disciplines and approaches involved. This makes it difficult to obtain useful and unbiasedinformation for future studies so a full review of contributions could provide a comprehensive critical per-spective. This paper...

This study presents the results of the assessment of current climatic zoning for building construction in two regions in the extreme southern part of Chile. The simulation of heating energy consumption for a detached single-family dwelling was performed in 680 geographical locations in the study area. The dwelling, which complied with all the techn...

As it is widely known, according with European directives, the correct approach for waste management is based on a strict hierarchy of prevention, reuse and recycling, energy recovery and final disposal. In that way, all the countries have to strongly move in urban waste reduction and recycling promotion. The principles of the Circular Economy have...

El ladrillo cerámico como material de construcción industrial contribuye negativamente al deterioro del medioambiente, tanto por el agotamiento de los recursos naturales como por la elevada cantidad de energía necesaria para su fabricación, que se traduce en emisiones de CO2. La incorporación de productos residuales o subproductos procedentes de di...

Actualmente existen más de 600 métodos en todo el mundo para evaluar, calificar y certificar la sostenibilidad de diferentes tipos de edificios y/o componentes de edificios en diferentes etapas del ciclo de vida. El ciclo de vida de un proyecto de edificación podría definirse como el período de tiempo transcurrido desde la primera idea de proyecto...

La insostenibilidad del modelo actual de producción-consumo, unido a una creciente demanda de energía en todo el mundo ha derivado en un importante incremento de los impactos ambientales, como producción de residuos, contaminación de aguas, agotamiento de la capa de ozono y acidificación, junto al agotamiento de los recursos naturales y efectos sob...

The DPSIR framework helps to identify and situate stressors, drivers and pressure variables within a dynamic environmental process composed of cause-effect relations. However, an important aspect related to its structural deficiency implies the use of unidirectional causalities between variables. In this work, we extend the capacities of the DPSIR...

Resumen El ambicioso paquete de medidas sobre economía circular, adoptado por la Comisión Europea en 2015, fijó como objetivo común el reciclado del 65% de los residuos municipales y, como objetivo vinculante, la reducción de la eliminación en vertedero a un máximo del 10 % de todos los residuos para 2030. El cumplimiento de estos objetivos deja un...

The application of Directive 2008/98/CE on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) implies the need to introduce technologies to generate energy from waste. Incineration, the most widely used method, is difficult to implement in low populated areas because it requires a large amount of waste to be viable (100,000 tons per year). This paper analyses the economi...

Recycled aggregate (RA) from construction and demolition waste is traditionally used for the manufacture of concrete for different applications. Due primarily to high water content required by RA, the quality of the concrete is determined by the amount of replacement RA. The aim of this study is to determine if RA pre-soaking enhances the propertie...

Thermogravimetric curves in air, measured for the different types of agricultural residues from olive trees (leaves, pruning and wood) at different heating rates (5, 10, 20, 40, 100 K/min), are subjected to kinetic evaluation by model-based and model-free methods. It is shown that the combustion process in the samples analyzed can be divided into t...

Treatment and final disposal of Municipal Solid Waste can have a significant role in the generation of negative environmental impacts. As a prevention strategy, such activities are subjected to the process of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Still, the follow-up of Environmental Management Plans or mitigation measures is limited , for one due...

Colombia generates 27,000 tonnes/day of waste, which is deposited into landfills. Approximately 30% of these sites do not comply with the requirements to be considered for controlled landfills. According to the legal framework, these disposal systems of solid waste are compelled to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in order...

Approval of the European Directive 2002/91/EU was followed by its reformulation in Directive 2010/31/EU, with reference to the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD). The partial transposition of this norm in Spain took place through Royal Decree 235/2013, which describes the Basic Procedure for the Energy Performance Certification of Buildings and...

The EC Directive regarding Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) stipulates that member states should prioritize effective measures for the treatment of residues with a view to developing different forms of valorization, among these energetic. Consequently there is a need to implement management technologies which provide a variety of complementary solutions...

The EC Directive regarding Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) stipulates that member states should prioritize effective measures for the treatment of residues with a view to developing different forms of valorization, among these energetic. Consequently there is a need to implement management technologies which provide a variety of complementary solutions...

The relationship between water and territory has been determined throughout history by the successive construction of water infrastructures. From the first agricultural canals to the present day, water networks have transformed the territory, favouring the creation and development of human settlements, but also resulting in severe impacts. The comp...

Esta guía pretende ser un documento de consulta para las administraciones locales que facilite el cumplimiento de sus competencias en la gestión de residuos. En ella se pretende determinar, definir y concretar el marco legislativo y administrativo de los Entes Locales en esta materia, con la finalidad de establecer sus competencias y la forma de ge...

In the Mediterranean areas of southwest Europe, olive tree pruning residues generate substantial amounts of residual biomass. Pelleting this biomass supposes the conversion of a residue difficult to manage into an energy resource especially indicated to be used in the areas where these groves exist. The final quality of pellets varies depending on...

The accuracy in assigning a climatic zone to a city is essential for studying the correct sizing of domestic hot water, heating, and cooling systems, as well as of construction materials. In Spain, the current system for allocating climate zones is one proposed by the Código Técnico de la Edificación (Technical Building Code) (CTE) and includes a m...

The thermal conversion of rice straw is an attractive option for recovering its energy, but the process requires exhaustive control because of ash-related problems. Straw washing is one method of reducing ash-related problems and improving combustion behaviour. In this study, the ash of washed and unwashed rice straw samples was chemically characte...

The building sector is one of the main bodies responsible for primary energy consumption in Europe. Consequently, energy certification of buildings is being promoted under the policy to monitor and reduce energy consumption. By means of the European Directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD), and the recast in the Directive...

The rise in energy consumption has made the use of alternative fuels a priority. Residual biomass is an abundant renewable energy resource whose use can lead to significant socioeconomic and environmental benefits. This biomass is destined to play an important role in the new energy model since agricultural residues are produced in huge amounts thr...

Adequate energy efficiency in any residential building calls for a number of factors to be taken into account as specified in the energy certification of buildings under European Union Directive 2002/91/EU. In particular, the heating systems are essential to optimize the use of energy, that are both efficient and environmentally sustainable, which...

This study evaluated the performance of fresh and hardened masonry mortar manufactured using recycled fine aggregates from concrete waste. A mortar control and three mortars series were prepared replacing 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of natural aggregate by recycled fine aggregate, which was used with different moisture states: as received (Series I) or...

This article presents the results of an experimental study on the influence of moisture states of aggregates when replacing natural coarse aggregate with recycled coarse aggregate in the mix design of non-structural concrete. Recycled coarse aggregates are those that come from construction and demolition waste treatment, being constituted by 89% of...

Rice straw can be used as a renewable fuel for heat and power generation. It is a viable mean of replacing fossil fuels and preventing pollution caused by open burning, especially in the areas where this residual biomass is generated. Nevertheless, the thermal conversion of rice straw can cause some operating problems such as slag formation, which...

The heterogeneity of biomass makes it difficult if not impossible to make sweeping generalizations concerning thermochemical treatment systems and the optimal equipment to be used in them. Chemical differences in the structural components of the biomass (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) have a direct impact on its chemical reactivity. The aim...

The utilization of biomass as a renewable source of energy is important from the energetic as well as the environmental viewpoint. It can reduce the rate of fossil fuel depletion caused by the rapid increase in energy consumption. This paper presents an estimation of the biomass and its potential energy in Egypt. Four main types of biomass energy s...

Various studies have shown that recycled aggregate (RA) can be used to make new concrete. However, in the same way as with natural aggregate (NA), RA also needs to be assessed in terms of grain- size distribution, absorption, abrasion, etc., for it to comply with national standards. In order to evaluate the use of RA, standards and guidelines from...

Recycled aggregate produced at construction and demolition waste plants is frequently used as an ingredient in structural concrete. Nevertheless, the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of this aggregate must be supervised in order to ensure the quality of the final product. Of these properties, one of the most important is particle size w...

The European Directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) regulates the energy rating of buildings. It has been trans- posed to Spanish legal framework through the Royal Decree 47/2007, Proced- imiento Ba ́sico para la Certificacio ́n de Eficiencia Energe ́tica de Edificios de Nueva Construccio ́n (Basic Procedure for Certific...

En esta investigación se han caracterizado cuatro muestras de árido reciclado para su potencial uso en obras de carreteras en España siguiendo el Pliego de Prescripciones Técnicas Generales para Obras de Carreteras y Puentes (PG-3). Aunque algunas fracciones presentaron suficiente calidad para la construcción de terraplenes, rellenos localizados y...

Urban surfaces receive waste deposits from natural and human sources, which create a negative visual impact and are identified as potentially significant contributors to water and air pollution. Local councils are usually responsible for the sweep of roads and footpaths to keep the environment clean and free of litter. Quality controls are useful i...

The European Space of Higher Education (ESHE) is a new conceptual formulation of the organization of teaching at the university, largely involving the development of new training models based on the individual student?s work. In this context, the University of Granada has approved two plans of Educational Excellence to promote a culture of quality...