Comparative Life Cycle Analysis of Cement-Based and Geopolymer Concretes Incorporating Recycled Aggregates from Construction Waste
摘要
Given the high environmental footprint of the Portland cement (PC) production, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) has become a priority in the construction industry. Geopolymer concrete (GPC) offers a potential substitute, primarily because of its supplementary cementitious material (SCM)-based rather than clinker binders. This research explores the possibility of concrete incorporating recycled aggregates from demolition waste in France, into geopolymer concrete (GPC) to improve circular economy. GPC containing 10%, 30%, and 50% RA were produced and compared to a conventional self-compacting concrete (SCC) with the same compressive strength (35–50 MPa) in terms of cradle-to-gate life cycle analysis (LCA). SimaPro 9 software was applied to perform the assessment, in combination with the Ecoinvent database, and the ReCiPe Midpoint (2016) method, encompassing 18 impact categories, were used for the analysis. The production stage was taken into account for a production of a functional unit of structural concrete of 1 m3. The results prove that GPC mixtures achieved a significant decrease in Global Warming Potential (GWP), from 120 kg CO₂/m3 (with 100% natural aggregates) to 93 kg CO₂/m3 (with 50% RA), as compared to 332 kg CO₂/m3 for SCC. Furthermore, GPC were found to be environmentally advantageous in 11 out of the 18 impact categories examined, with significant decreases in GWP by 72% and fossil resource scarcity by 81%. These findings demonstrate that the use of SCMs materials and CDW-RA in GPC achieves an appealing synergy between environmental sustainability and mechanical performance and is a promising pathway to low-carbon, resource-efficient construction.