Achieving Sustainability in Construction: The Role of Advanced Composite Materials

Abstract

Because of its high resource and energy consumption and carbon emissions, the construction industry comes across as one of the most environmentally unfriendly industries, as traditional materials such as concrete, steel, and timber pose even greater reputational and performance risks, sustainability challenges, a climate crisis, resource extraction, sprawl, in addition to being the largest source of human-related carbon emissions. A drive toward more environmentally friendly construction methodologies has created an interest in advanced composite materials (ACMs) (including Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP), Natural Fibre Composites (NFC), Bio-composites and Nano-composites), which have been proven to possess many beneficial characteristics including high strength-to-weight ratios, great durability and potential to be very environmentally friendly. Despite these benefits, there has been little comparative analysis of ACMs versus traditional materials across the key sustainability metrics over the full life cycle. This study seeks to fill this knowledge gap by conducting a detailed assessment of ACM in terms of performance, environmental impact and sustainability throughout their life cycle. Specific aims include studying the mechanical properties of ACMs like the strength-to–weight ratio, durability, thermal insulation, recycle ability, and carbon footprint, and comparing them with traditional construction materials. The research applies a sequential process consisting of a literature review, characterization of materials, case studies and Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) of ACSMs to assess their potential to be viable alternatives for sustainable construction. The key contributions of this work are the in depth understanding of the relative performance of ACMs with respect to traditional materials, the identification of specific areas where ACMs are superior in sustainability metrics, and the identification of limitations in their recyclability and fire resistance that still require further R & D. These results endorse ACMs as viable alternatives to conventional materials, leading to less resource use, lower emission, and more sustainability in construction practice. This research offers practical civil engineering-oriented recommendations and establishes a basis for additional investigation on how to improve ACMs for wider, sustainable applications.