Modelling and Simulation of Building Material Flows: Assessing the Potential for Concrete Recycling in the German Construction Sector
The reuse and recycling of materials can make an important contribution to the conservation of natural resources in the sense of a circular economy. This applies in particular to high quality recycling, supporting the material use of waste and closing product cycles. The construction sector is the m...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-03-01
|
| Series: | Recycling |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/7/2/13 |
| _version_ | 1797434277825085440 |
|---|---|
| author | Clemens Mostert Christian Weber Stefan Bringezu |
| author_facet | Clemens Mostert Christian Weber Stefan Bringezu |
| author_sort | Clemens Mostert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The reuse and recycling of materials can make an important contribution to the conservation of natural resources in the sense of a circular economy. This applies in particular to high quality recycling, supporting the material use of waste and closing product cycles. The construction sector is the most important sector in terms of available volume of materials for recycling. However, the largest share of recycling (RC) materials goes predominantly into road construction and underground engineering. This research developed a dynamic model and used a simulation tool to calculate future building material flows in the German construction sector of residential buildings to explore the medium- and long-term potential for RC concrete. The results show that, by increasing the RC rate of concrete to produce recycled aggregates for concrete (RAC) from currently 1.5% to 48%, up to 179 million tons of sand and gravel could be saved until 2060. If the current maximum secondary input rate of RAC of 45% is increased to 70%, the savings could rise over another 66 million tons. If a secondary input rate of 100% is applied, RAC could completely fulfill the demand for sand and gravel for new residential building in Germany from 2045 onwards. The approval of RC concrete for more concrete strength and exposure classes is required to avoid a surplus of RAC and a rapid exhaustion of landfill capacities in the future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:29:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2a5b629156074e63b07fc167e2190293 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2313-4321 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:29:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Recycling |
| spelling | doaj.art-2a5b629156074e63b07fc167e21902932023-12-01T21:21:09ZengMDPI AGRecycling2313-43212022-03-01721310.3390/recycling7020013Modelling and Simulation of Building Material Flows: Assessing the Potential for Concrete Recycling in the German Construction SectorClemens Mostert0Christian Weber1Stefan Bringezu2Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), Faculty of Building and Environmental Engineering, University of Kassel, 34109 Kassel, GermanyCenter for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), Faculty of Building and Environmental Engineering, University of Kassel, 34109 Kassel, GermanyCenter for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), Faculty of Building and Environmental Engineering, University of Kassel, 34109 Kassel, GermanyThe reuse and recycling of materials can make an important contribution to the conservation of natural resources in the sense of a circular economy. This applies in particular to high quality recycling, supporting the material use of waste and closing product cycles. The construction sector is the most important sector in terms of available volume of materials for recycling. However, the largest share of recycling (RC) materials goes predominantly into road construction and underground engineering. This research developed a dynamic model and used a simulation tool to calculate future building material flows in the German construction sector of residential buildings to explore the medium- and long-term potential for RC concrete. The results show that, by increasing the RC rate of concrete to produce recycled aggregates for concrete (RAC) from currently 1.5% to 48%, up to 179 million tons of sand and gravel could be saved until 2060. If the current maximum secondary input rate of RAC of 45% is increased to 70%, the savings could rise over another 66 million tons. If a secondary input rate of 100% is applied, RAC could completely fulfill the demand for sand and gravel for new residential building in Germany from 2045 onwards. The approval of RC concrete for more concrete strength and exposure classes is required to avoid a surplus of RAC and a rapid exhaustion of landfill capacities in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/7/2/13concrete recyclingmineral construction wasterecycled aggregatesbuilding material flowsresidential buildings stockurban mining |
| spellingShingle | Clemens Mostert Christian Weber Stefan Bringezu Modelling and Simulation of Building Material Flows: Assessing the Potential for Concrete Recycling in the German Construction Sector Recycling concrete recycling mineral construction waste recycled aggregates building material flows residential buildings stock urban mining |
| title | Modelling and Simulation of Building Material Flows: Assessing the Potential for Concrete Recycling in the German Construction Sector |
| title_full | Modelling and Simulation of Building Material Flows: Assessing the Potential for Concrete Recycling in the German Construction Sector |
| title_fullStr | Modelling and Simulation of Building Material Flows: Assessing the Potential for Concrete Recycling in the German Construction Sector |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modelling and Simulation of Building Material Flows: Assessing the Potential for Concrete Recycling in the German Construction Sector |
| title_short | Modelling and Simulation of Building Material Flows: Assessing the Potential for Concrete Recycling in the German Construction Sector |
| title_sort | modelling and simulation of building material flows assessing the potential for concrete recycling in the german construction sector |
| topic | concrete recycling mineral construction waste recycled aggregates building material flows residential buildings stock urban mining |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/7/2/13 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT clemensmostert modellingandsimulationofbuildingmaterialflowsassessingthepotentialforconcreterecyclinginthegermanconstructionsector AT christianweber modellingandsimulationofbuildingmaterialflowsassessingthepotentialforconcreterecyclinginthegermanconstructionsector AT stefanbringezu modellingandsimulationofbuildingmaterialflowsassessingthepotentialforconcreterecyclinginthegermanconstructionsector |