Title: Assessment of factors affecting construction waste: recycled aggregates and their embodied energy composition

Authors: Sara Gharehbaghi; Koorosh Gharehbaghi; Kong Fah Tee

Addresses: Bechtel Corporation, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA ' School of PCPM, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia ' School of Engineering, University of Greenwich, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK

Abstract: The present research focuses on some of the essential aspects of embodied energy of recycled aggregates. One way to lower the embodied energy levels is the utilisation of recycled aggregates. However, aforesaid aggregates also subsequently produce embodied energy, albeit much lower levels than concrete. This research will therefore present an analysis of waste management reduction approach through recycled aggregates, to alleviate the embodied energy levels. The analysis revealed that a key consideration is material choice during the pre-planning stage. Since materials such as timber and masonry have considerably lower embodied energy to produce, they thus use less embodied energy. As a result, such recycled aggregates - from construction to demolition waste, can be used as an alternative to mining virgin aggregate. Such outcome subsequently leads to lower the overall embodied energy required, but also significantly reduces the waste created.

Keywords: recycled aggregates; embodied energy; waste minimisation; virgin aggregates; green buildings; GBELS; green building evaluation and labelling system.

DOI: 10.1504/IJFE.2021.118919

International Journal of Forensic Engineering, 2021 Vol.5 No.2, pp.157 - 173

Received: 11 Nov 2020
Accepted: 04 Mar 2021

Published online: 11 Nov 2021 *

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