Chapter 32 - Life cycle assessment of different alternative materials used for stabilization/solidification

Abstract

Due to the high environmental impacts of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), some alternative materials were used in the process of solidification/stabilization. From a “cradle-to-gate” perspective, that is, in a life cycle, this chapter summarizes the environmental impacts of OPC, alkali-activated cement, magnesium-bearing cement, and calcium sulfoaluminate cement from the literature and the author’s previous work. Results indicated that some alternative materials could be more sustainable than the current OPC production with respect to the carbon footprint and the overall environmental impacts, but the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) outcomes rely on many assumptions, and some important aspects are not included in the current analysis, which paths the way for the future LCA analysis.