Recycling of environmentally critical waste through its use in mortar and concrete production processes: study, optimization, and environmental impact assessment.

The disposal of large volumes of waste in landfill or incineration causes short- and long-term environmental damage, including global warming, natural resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and water consumption. Lowering CO2 emission is a fundamental step to environmental recovery, re-balancing the ecosystem and mitigating global warming’s negative impact on the planet. Traditional concrete is considered a non-environmentally friendly product as it consumes not only natural resources of sand and gravel at critical levels but also its main ingredient, Portland Cement (PC), is responsible for about 8% of the global CO2 emissions. Traditional concrete consists of 50%–80% natural aggregates, and it is the most consumed material on earth, at about 25 gigatonnes every year and around 3.5 tonnes per capita.



Decarbonization of the construction sector is one of today's key global environmental objectives. The commitment of the scientific community, global organizations, and construction companies has led to encouraging application results. The use of materials with lower environmental impact but which can provide new and improved performance to the final product, compared to traditional mortars and concretes, is becoming widespread. At the same time, innovative technologies and processes have been developed to promote reductions in raw material utilization, energy consumption, and pollutant emissions. This collection of articles aims to highlight the differences between the various scientific advances by employing systematic and globally recognized methodological approaches. The use of appropriate process parameters, mechanical performance indicators, and environmental impact indices is crucial for classifying processes and final products while considering the entire value chain.



Study and comparison of systems, materials, and processes for the production of mortars and concretes, aiming at the reduction of the global carbon footprint of the construction sector. Use of the most widely certified standards for the classification of technologically applicable end products. Application of the Life Cycle Analysis methodology to assess the environmental impacts of the processes and materials studied. Development of appropriately mathematically modeled indices for systematic comparison that simultaneously take into account the performance and environmental impacts associated with the final product. The manuscript, in the form of a scientific article or systematic review, must contain critical conclusions and concrete insights into the development and applicability of new technologies not yet introduced into local and global markets.

Keywords: Building materials, Mechanical testing, Life cycle assessment, Performance indicators, Process optimization

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