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An approach to LCSA: the case of concrete recycling

  • LIFE CYCLE SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT: FROM LCA TO LCSA
  • Published:
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The framework of life cycle sustainability analysis (LCSA) has been developed within the CALCAS project but the procedure on how an LCSA should be carried out is still far from standardized. The purpose of this article is to propose an approach to put the LCSA framework into practice. This approach is illustrated with an on-going case study on concrete recycling.

Methods

In the context of an EC-FP7 project on technology innovation for concrete recycling, five operational steps to implement the LCSA framework are proposed: (1) broad system definition, (2) making scenarios, (3) defining sub-questions for individual tools, (4) application of the tools and (5) interpreting the results in an LCSA framework. Focus has been put on the goal and scope definition (steps 1–3) to illustrate how to define a doable and meaningful LCSA. Steps 4–5 are not complete in the case study and are elaborated theoretically in this paper.

Results and discussion

The experience from the case study shows that the operational steps are especially useful at the stage of defining the goal and scope. Breaking down the sustainability questions into different scales and different aspects gives the possibility to define the sub-questions suitable to be assessed by the individual analytical tools (e.g., LCA, LCC, SLCA, MFA, etc.). The C2CA-LCSA shows a practical approach to model the life cycle impacts of the broad system is to start by modelling the technological system at the micro level and then scale it up with the realistic scenario settings that are generated with the knowledge gained from the MFA studies at the meso-level and from the policy/economic studies at the macro level. The combined application of LCA, LCC and SLCA at the project level shows not all the cost items and only one social impact indicator can be modelled in the process-based LCA structure. Thus it is important to address the left out information at the interpretation step.

Conclusions

Defining sub-questions on three different levels seems most useful to frame an LCSA study at the early stage of goal and scope definition. Although this study provides some useful steps for the operationlisation of the LCSA concept, it is clear that additional case studies are needed to move LCSA into a practical framework for the analysis of complex sustainability problems.

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Notes

  1. CALCAS (http://www.calcasproject.net/).

  2. C2CA is funded by European Commission within the 7th framework programme under the theme of “Innovative technologies and eco-design recommendations for reuse and recycling of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, with a special focus on technologies for onsite solutions” (grant agreement no: 265189). The project spans 4 years, from January 2011 to December 2014.

  3. In Europe, an increase of the demolition waste is expected because most European land is already a densely populated area. The limited supply of the development land results in more and more demolition of buildings. For instance, in Germany, new buildings are established on two thirds of all demolished real estate (Tränkler 1994).

  4. It refers to the recycling rate of C&D waste in the Netherland at 2006, 95 %.

  5. Within the context of LCA, a mechanism is in the first place a causal relationship that connects the level of two activities (Heijungs et al. 2009).

Abbreviations

ADR:

Advanced dry recovery

CA:

Clean aggregate

C&D waste:

Construction and demolition waste

EIOA:

Environmental input–output analysis

EOL:

End-of-life

IOA:

Input–output analysis

LAP2:

Dutch second waste management plan

LCA:

Life cycle assessment /analysis

LCC:

Life cycle costing

LCSA:

Life cycle sustainability assessment /analysis

MFA:

Material flow account

RBM:

Road base material

SLCA:

Social life cycle assessment

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Acknowledgments

The article is realized thank for the financial support of the European Commission in the framework of the FP7 Collaborative project “Advanced Technologies for the Production of Cement and Clean Aggregates from Construction and Demolition Waste (C2CA)”, grant agreement no. 265189. The authors are thankful to the anonymous reviewers’ detailed comments and constructive suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CML—Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, 2300, RA, Leiden, the Netherlands

    Mingming Hu & René Kleijn

  2. Faculty of Construction Management and Real Estate, Chongqing University, 400015, Chongqing, China

    Mingming Hu

  3. Division of Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

    Kossara P. Bozhilova-Kisheva

  4. Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, 2600, GA, Delft, the Netherlands

    Francesco Di Maio

Authors
  1. Mingming Hu
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  2. René Kleijn
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  3. Kossara P. Bozhilova-Kisheva
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  4. Francesco Di Maio
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mingming Hu.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Alessandra Zamagni

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Hu, M., Kleijn, R., Bozhilova-Kisheva, K.P. et al. An approach to LCSA: the case of concrete recycling. Int J Life Cycle Assess 18, 1793–1803 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-013-0599-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-013-0599-8

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