Life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental sustainability of cementitious materials for 3D concrete printing: A systematic literature review

Abstract

This article presents a literature review on the use of cementitious materials for 3D printing applications in the context of environmental sustainability and the construction sector. In this study are presented materials currently used for 3D concrete printing. Structural and non-structural applications are considered. New research regarding more durable and sustainable materials is discussed. Furthermore, recent contributions on the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the concrete 3D printing technology are summarized. A discussion on the current studies is conducted, and recommendations for the environmental performance improvement of printed concrete are produced. The review showed that there are few studies on the LCA of concrete for 3D printing and that the concrete employed for this purpose generally uses large volume fractions of Portland cement in order to achieve proper rheology. New studies, however, demonstrate that supplementary cementitious materials, recycled wastes, and alternative matrices can be applied to reduce life cycle environmental impacts. Studies also show that the environmental performance of the printed structures can be improved through functional hybridization, structural optimization, and increasing the energy efficiency of the printing systems.