Study of the Environmental Impact Associated with Different Valorisation Strategies for Construction and Demolition Waste Generated at the End-of-Life of Buildings

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is responsible for more than one-third of waste generation in the European Union (EU). It contributes to the high environmental impact (EI) associated with the construction sector. There is an urgent need to explore efficient ways to improve the sustainability of the sector. The valorisation of this waste stream is essential to achieve this goal. The main objective of this work is to study different strategies for the CDW. The aim is to find the path that causes the least EI. To this end, six strategies are considered for each type of CDW, taking into account two demolition scenarios, traditional and selective, in order to highlight the difference between the CDW generated in each type of demolition and the EI of the associated recovery processes. EI is determined using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, analysing the following categories: climate change (Global Warming Potential, GWP) and depletion of abiotic resources for fossil fuels (ADP f.f.). These indicators will be determined for each module in the end-of-life phase and for each type of CDW generated. Finally, case studies are considered to analyse different real situations/scenarios. The results obtained demonstrate the high environmental benefit of maximising the recycling of these waste streams, the advantage of selective demolition in their management and recovery, and the influence of different variables in reducing the EI.