A Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment Framework for Co-processing Construction and Demolition Waste in Cement Production in Mexico

Main Presenter:    Sara Naranjo Copestake 

Co-Authors:   Isabella Montibeller González     Mauricio de la Peña Garza      María Guadalupe Paredes Figueroa                                    

The construction sector represents a fundamental pillar of global economic and urban development, yet it is one of the major contributors to environmental impact. Concrete, the most widely used construction material worldwide, carries significant environmental implications: cement production accounts for approximately 3% of global energy consumption and contributes roughly 8% of worldwide CO₂ emissions (Zhang et al., 2022; Sinoh et al., 2023). Furthermore, Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) represents 30% of all waste generated globally, underscoring the urgent need for circular economy strategies within this sector (Ginga et al., 2020).

This study applies a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) as a tool to evaluate CDW co-processing impacts as a partial limestone substitute in cement manufacturing with a cradle-to-gate with options approach. The research was conducted in Nuevo León, Mexico, where the construction industry plays a pivotal role in the regional economy, while the CDW valorization remains limited.

The methodological framework integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), and Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), following ISO 14040:2006, ISO 14044:2006, EN 15804:2012+A2:2019, and UNEP/SETAC guidelines. Additionally, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to establish the weighting factors of each sector in the LCSA equation, contributing to LCSA standardization for implementation in Mexico and Latin America.

Results from sensitivity analysis demonstrate significant environmental benefits, with reductions of 18.91% in mineral resource depletion, 15.83% in climate change impact, and 4.16% in stratospheric ozone depletion. Additionally, benefits and loads beyond the system boundary were identified, such as land use change (+15.23%) and water depletion (+11.46%), under a scenario where 20% of limestone is substituted with CDW in the evaluated concrete plants. Economic analysis reveals that under an ideal scenario where 100% of CDW is co-processed, the process becomes 6.84% more cost-effective by eliminating landfill fees and reducing virgin limestone transportation and quarrying fees. Social assessment indicates that by increasing CDW substitution, the employment performance level shifts from a medium to a good performance category.

This research contributes methodological advances to LCSA standardization and establishes multi-criteria weighting factors applicable to construction sustainability assessments in the Latin American context. The findings support the transition toward circular economy principles in one of the most polluting global industries, providing evidence-based strategies for optimizing CDW management from a comprehensive sustainability perspective.

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