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Special Issue "Construction and Demolition Waste Management for Carbon Neutrality"

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Waste and Recycling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2023 | Viewed by 6095

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zezhou Wu

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Guest Editor

Department of Construction Management and Real Estate, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
Interests: sustainable construction; carbon emission reduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jiayuan Wang
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Professor, Sino-Australia Joint Research Centre in BIM and Smart Construction, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: construction and demolition waste management; smart construction

Dr. Zhikun Ding
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Dr. Huabo Duan
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: construction and demolition waste management; lifecycle assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, with the United Nations repeatedly stressing the need to reduce carbon emissions, more and more countries and enterprises have actively responded to the call and have promised to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality in the future. It is not difficult to find that the new concept of carbon neutrality has become a buzzword all over the world. The construction industry, as a major contributor to carbon emissions, is receiving fierce criticism. In particular, the disposal of construction and demolition (C&D) waste (such as landfilling) has been criticized by environmentalists for a long time because of its pollution and damage to the environment. As a result, new concepts and techniques (such as green building and information technology) have been imported to reduce waste. It is very interesting to investigate their applications and impacts in the management of C&D waste. In addition, C&D waste is used as raw materials to produce recycled products and then put into new construction, thus reducing carbon emissions. Herein, a variety of stakeholders are involved in the processes mentioned above. These stakeholders inevitably influence each other, and their relationships are very complicated, so it is necessary to investigate the stakeholders and their waste minimization behavior.

Against this background, this Special Issue aims to gather research from experts across the world so we can all learn how to contribute to carbon neutrality through C&D waste management on various levels, e.g., projects, businesses, industries, and societies. We hope that such a collection of academic papers will contribute to promoting our understanding of the state-of-the-art methods and practices for sustainable construction in communities of scholars and practitioners.

We invite you to submit to this Special Issue of Sustainability. Topics of primary interest include but are not limited to:

C&D waste management transition paths towards carbon neutrality;
Policies on C&D waste management towards sustainability;
Environmental assessments of carbon emissions from C&D waste;
Stakeholder behaviors in C&D waste management;
Decision-making support systems for C&D waste management;
Carbon capture, utilization, and storage of C&D waste;
Technologies for producing recycled materials;
Societal implications of C&D waste management;
Comparative analysis of waste management requirements between green building and traditional building;
Reverse logistics supply chain of C&D waste management;
Applications of information technologies for C&D waste management;
Case studies on C&D waste management for carbon neutrality.

Dr. Zezhou Wu
Prof. Dr. Jiayuan Wang
Dr. Zhikun Ding
Dr. Huabo Duan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

construction and demolition waste
sustainability
recycling
lifecycle
environmental assessment
green building
industrial chain
stakeholders
decision making
information technology
carbon neutrality

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Developing a Decision-Making Support System for a Smart Construction and Demolition Waste Transition to a Circular Economy

Prin Boonkanit

and

Kridchai Suthiluck

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9672; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129672 - 16 Jun 2023

Viewed by 638

Abstract

This research work aimed to develop a decision support system (DSS) to select the most appropriate concrete waste management method, which is the most critical issue in the construction industry. The research process began with the study of the current situation of concrete waste management problems. Related theories and literature were reviewed, and experts were interviewed in depth. After that, the Delphi technique and the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) were used to analyze the decision-making structure and consider factors related to the waste management methods. Then, the FAHP process was analyzed, calculated, and prioritized using MS Excel until the results were obtained. Finally, decision structures were shown, evaluated, and prioritized using a case study by a group of experts belonging to the Thai circular economy construction industry (CECI). The contribution of this research line in the DSS model is by analyzing, calculating, and finding the most appropriate alternative solution for the construction waste industry. Limitations, recommendations, and future research directions are also presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction and Demolition Waste Management for Carbon Neutrality)

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Open AccessArticle

An Implementation Framework for On-Site Shield Spoil Utilization—A Case Study of a Metro Project

and

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9304; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129304 - 08 Jun 2023

Viewed by 466

Abstract

A majority of metro projects have been constructed to reduce urban traffic congestion and to improve the convenience of public transportation, but these projects also produced a significant amount of engineering slag and mud. The shield construction method could improve the efficiency and safety; this technique has been frequently used in tunnel excavation projects. However, the spoil produced during the shield construction is challenging to deal with. In literature, though there has been an increasing number of studies on the technologies of utilizing shield spoil, the on-site utilization of shield spoil is still a subject of little research. This study introduced an implementation framework for the on-site utilization of shield spoil based on successful case experiences. It aims to assist project managers in efficiently implementing on-site resource utilization projects and to address the gaps in the relevant field. A case study was conducted in the Shenzhen Metro Line 13 North Extension Project; this study collected data through six semi-structured interviews and field research, analyzed the data, and constructed a framework using thematic analysis and focus group discussions. The three components of the implementation framework are project planning, project construction, and project closing, and each section describes what must be accomplished during that phase. Additionally, three recommendations—(1) combining intelligent technology to optimize the existing equipment, (2) utilizing lean technology in project execution, (3) establishing strategic partnerships with construction waste recycling enterprises—are also made for the development of the shield spoil utilization project. This study uses the Shenzhen Metro Line 13 North Extension Project as a model to theoretically underpin future research on shielding spoil on-site during resource utilization projects and to achieve the repeatable promotion of shield spoil utilization technology in Shenzhen. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction and Demolition Waste Management for Carbon Neutrality)

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Open AccessArticle

Characteristics and Resource Recovery Strategies of Solid Waste in Sewerage Systems

and

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1662; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021662 - 14 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1189

Abstract

Sewerage systems-related solid waste accumulates in considerable quantities in urban water systems, including rainwater drainage pipes, pumping stations, grease traps, grit chambers, and septic tanks. Traditional management methods, such as sanitary landfilling, incineration, and composting, not only endanger the environment but also consume a significant amount of land. To address this problem, a variety of waste was collected from a terminal and different facilities in sewerage systems, and the characteristics of solid waste were tested and analyzed. The corresponding appropriate approaches to resource recovery strategies were proposed in detail. The solid waste in the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) contains low organic matter content and a certain quantity of heavy metals, making recycling difficult. Before the solid waste enters the WWTP, the strategy of pre-sorting, treating, and recycling the solid waste is worth recommending. The waste was divided into three categories based on its nature, and corresponding resource utilization strategies were proposed. A small part of solid waste that is not suitable for pre-recycling can be discharged normally and enter the WWTP for treatment. This paper provides a scientific basis for the green resource utilization of solid waste in the field of sewerage systems in developing countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction and Demolition Waste Management for Carbon Neutrality)

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Open AccessArticle

Prediction of Dust Abatement Costs in Construction Demolition Projects

and

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 5965; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105965 - 14 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1055

Abstract

Dust pollution arising out of building demolition has serious health implications on workers, as well as the neighboring communities. Existing research has shown that regulatory and engineering control methods are the most popular for dust pollution control on demolition sites. Though engineering control methods are effective in suppressing dust pollution, they have enormous cost implications for demolition companies. Therefore, accurate prediction of dust treatment costs is an important element of the demolition planning process. However, very little information is available in the existing research about treatment costs. In addition, there has not been any attempt to develop a model which can accurately predict the cost of dust treatment during building demolition. To overcome this knowledge gap, a grey prediction model is built according to the information obtained from twenty previous demolition projects. The historical trend of demolition project cost is combined to establish the prediction model based on GM (1, 1), which can be used to obtain the dust treatment cost of a project with very high accuracy. To further improve the prediction accuracy, this paper also builds a Single Function Residual Identifiability (SFRI) model. The relative error between the actual and predicted dust treatment costs from 2013 to 2021 ranges from 0.003% to 0.077%. Through detailed assessment of various treatment measures using a case study, it was found that the results obtained by the prediction model are very close to the actual costs incurred, which verifies the accuracy of the proposed model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction and Demolition Waste Management for Carbon Neutrality)

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Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Techno-Economic Feasibility for Excavated Soil Recycling in Shenzhen, China

and

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 3028; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053028 - 04 Mar 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1674

Abstract

The existing recycling chain of construction and demolition waste generally considers soil inert solid waste to be sent to landfills. As the most significant component of C&D (construction and demolition) waste, excavated soil occupies approximately half of landfills. Currently, excavated soil is a big issue in China’s Pearl River Delta. This paper investigated the composition and quantity of excavated soil in Shenzhen, China. In particular, the potential market demand for critical recycled sand (a key recycled material extracted from the excavated soil) was estimated. Furthermore, the technical analysis for excavated soil recycling takes an entire excavated soil recycling process’s perspective, delving into the process flow for the excavated soil and the recycled sand’s physicomechanical properties. Then, two mainstream and legitimate models of excavated soil recycling were considered: stationary plant recycling and on-site recycling. Each model’s financial and economic viability was assessed. The financial analysis focuses on investors’ perspectives, whose primary goal is to assess their investment profitability. The economic feasibility of the excavated soil stationary plant recycling and on-site recycling models in Shenzhen were then compared via benefit and cost analysis during the lifetime of the recycling equipment. A comprehensive, complete cost calculation and investment analysis revealed that Shenzhen’s excavated soil recycling business is profitable under the current market conditions. This study investigates scaled and effective excavated soil recycling and gives a technically and economically viable reference to the global excavated soil issue. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction and Demolition Waste Management for Carbon Neutrality)

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