Recycling Potential of Building Materials: A Review

Abstract

All buildings have a specific lifetime which can be divided as construction, operation, and demolition phases. A lot of energy and capital are required in the construction phase of a building inasmuch as a large variety of materials is required for building construction. A high amount of waste material is generated in the construction and demolition (C and D) phases of a building. Due to this fact the dumping of C and D waste materials for landfill is neither economical nor environmentally friendly due to the many environmental impacts associated with it. Thus it becomes quite important to think about the reuse of C and D waste of a building. Recycling and reuse of waste material reduces the requirement of fresh and virgin materials in construction of new buildings. Along with the requirement of fresh material, it increases energy requirements as well as externalities. As we know, many GHG emissions are associated with procurement, manufacturing, transportation of building material, and on-site construction activities which can be reduced by reuse of waste materials in new building construction. This chapter reviews the recycling potential of different types of building materials as well as the energy, economic, and environmental impacts on construction of buildings.