Ana Catarina Jorge Evangelista

Life Cycle Assessment: A Comparison of Ceramic Brick Inventories to Subsidize the Development of Databases in Brazil

Brazilians construction industry is facing a growth panorama. Given this, discussions on environmental suitability of the sector become relevant, since it is recognized as the most important sector for achieving more sustainable patterns of development. The life cycle assessment (LCA) has been considered one of the most appropriate methodologies for the analysis of interactions between products and services of construction industry and the environment and it has been used with numerous goals and different methodological referrals. In Brazil the main limitation related to the use of LCA is the lack of databases for the specific regional reality, which is related with life cycle inventories, part of LCA process. This article aims to compare different LCA studies that addressed the life cycle of ceramic bricks, an intensive used component in Brazilians buildings. The focus defined is the LCI of production phase, identifying possible differences in modeling processes and in inputs and outputs. The results pointed out to homogeneity in process description and to a lack of correspondence of inputs and outputs with functional units adopted.

Quality Indicators for Life Cycle Inventory: Real Cases Exploratory Application

The life cycle inventory for the production of building materials made in Brazil do not follow standardizations regarding the choice and representation of data and are not eligible for other exchanges between Brazilian and European inventories. For this study inventories Brazilian and European production of ceramic bricks were analyzed on the basis of quality indicators recommended by ISO14040. The results confirmed that Brazilian studies show a high level of uncertainty and are incompatible with international inventories.

Use of Cement Hydration Stabilizer Admixture at Ready Mix Concrete to Avoid Material Waste

Concrete from ready mix plant is the main raw material consumed in construction industry. A significant waste quantity is generated with fresh concrete returned to the production center due to their inadequate allocation or demand preview. To minimize the amount of this material wasted, misused, discarded, could be used the Hydration Stabilizer Admixture (HSA). This product enables stabilization of the concrete setting time until 72 h. Waste generated by the building industry is becoming increasingly focused on discussions and studies, due to great importance that this topic is achieving. Generation of this waste in the construction sector and the large representation of this sector in society is one of the main problems encountered in the reuse of waste from construction. Its characteristic, heterogeneous and unknown, however, a specific part of that waste generated in the central metering concrete, has a high potential for reuse, mainly because they come from a production highly controlled, where the source materials and the final product are physically and chemically known. This work aims to study the environmental benefits and technical feasibility of stabilizing additive hydration as a solution for the reuse of residual concrete from central metering, always under a sustainable vision of the entire process through an experimental program. This work presents results of setting time, slump test, incorporated air, compressive strength at 3days, 7days, 14days, 28days and 45 days and elastic modulus ate 28 days. The reference concrete was compared with concrete stabilized mixtures (0.15%, 0.30%, 0.45% content of HSA), both presenting the same constituent materials. The results indicate the feasibility to the use of the HSA despite the reduction of the mechanical properties of the concrete.

LEED and HQE certifications assessment in sustainable construction

This paper presents a description of Green Building and Sustainability in construction, covering its concepts and characteristics for a better understanding of the certification process. Buildings consume different types of materials and use lots of energy and water. This is important to have processes that are based on the economy of natural resources, and its rational use. The process of environmental certification of buildings, contributes to minimize environmental impacts using, in a more conscious way, natural resources, bringing many benefits, presented later in this paper. This work introduces the concepts of environmental certification in construction, the importance and the benefits that consider the environment by applying concepts of sustainability before making a critical analysis between two certification processes, the Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) created by the United States and Haute Qualite Environnementale (HQE) created in France. After most, the methodologies for application will be listed, as will the phases in which they operate during the life cycle of an enterprise and their benefits. This paper also consists in a case study for LEED and HQE certification, both with site visit, in order to view the main constraints and practical applications.

Recycled Ceramic Fine Aggregate for Masonry Mortar Production

Reduction and reuse of construction and demolition waste can minimize the consumption of natural and energy resource in the construction industry. In addition, high population growth followed by a large housing deficit in many countries emphasizes the need to obtain low-cost and technical-viable building material. This study presents experimental results of mechanical and physical characterization of ceramic waste fragments obtained from the renovation of the Construction Materials Laboratory of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. This material is crushed and sieved in producing recycled fine aggregate. This paper analyses the influence of recycled fine aggregate to produce masonry mortars. Different sand replacement by ceramic waste are investigated. The results show that the properties of the fresh mortar are mostly influenced by the absorption, shape, texture, and density of recycled fine aggregate. 100% sand replacement is found to have the most significant decrease in the mortar’s mechanical properties.

Performance gains with the quality, health, safety and environment (QHSE) management in works of retrofit

The recycling of materials is increasingly being used by the manufacturing industry. It is an attitude in response the growing charges that society has imposed the producer market. In the construction industry this demand is even more intense due to the large volumes of raw materials consumed for the execution of new buildings, the generation of waste during the construction process and finally the generation of wastes at the end of the useful life of the building. In this regard the adoption of the retrofit in buildings as a way to adapt them to new uses and thus prolong their life has grown considerably in the construction market. The implementation of the retrofit in buildings requires the use of specialized teams, adequately trained and modern construction techniques with emphasis on the highest possible utilization of materials already available in the building retrofit of the object. In this sense this work presents the implementation of the integrated quality management methodology, safety, environment and health in construction of buildings retrofit as a tool to achieve gains in performance in recycling the use of buildings.

The Technical Viability of the Reuse of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) for the Production of Interlocking Concrete Paving

A report about the current industry standards of technological, economic and legal development for the recycling and reuse of civil construction waste (CCW). The use of CCW, such as recycled aggregate inserted into concrete, is still in its initial stages in Brazil [. This papers main objective was to evaluate the quality of concrete produced using different amounts, or fractions, of recycled concrete aggregate RCA from the residues of demolition wastes RDW from UFRJs university hospital, located at its Rio de Janeiro campus. These residues had the dimensions of crushed gravel, and were inserted into a mix of conventional concrete for making interlocking concrete paving, based on the characterization of the recycled aggregates and mechanical tests, carried out on laboratory produced cylindrical specimens of concrete, contributing to the increase in the recycling of cement and concrete in Brazil.

Variation of Concrete Strength with the Insertion of Carbon Nanotubes

Nanomaterials could change the face of modern construction because they are more resistant, more durable and have notable features. Concrete is a material widely used in construction industry worldwide. Carbon nanotube has been considered a new and outstanding material in nanoscience field with great potential application in the construction industry. The study presented in this paper, aims at assessing how carbon nanotubes can affect cement composites and so the concrete, in terms of microstructure and physical-mechanical properties. Three different ratios of carbon nanotubes have been searched: 0.20%, 0.40% and 0.60%. To evaluate the mechanical properties of the samples, destructive and non-destructive tests were carried out to obtain compressive strength, tensile strength by diametrical compression, dynamic modulus of elasticity as well as the determination of their deformation properties. This work also aims to motivate entrepreneurs and professionals in the sector of civil engineering on the advantages of the application of nanotechnology in construction, as well as providing information to the scientific and technological community in general.

Mechanical Behavior of Jute Fiber-Cement Based Composites

This study presents the results of the mechanical characterization of short jute fiber cement mortar composites. Compression, direct tension and bending tests were performed to determine the first crack, post-peak strength, toughness and fracture processes of the composites. To ensure the composite durability, the ordinary Portland cement matrix was modified by adding metakaolin to consume the calcium hydroxide generated during Portland cement hydration. The composites were produced using reinforcement ratios of 2% and 3% of short jute fiber (25 mm) in a self-compacting matrix of maximum packing. Jute plant is easy to grow in the Amazon region of Brazil where arrived in early 30s coming from Asia and represents the main economic activity of the Amazon riverine population. The tensile behavior of this high performance natural reinforcement was determined in the present study using 30 mm long fiber. Composites with high toughness, strength and multiple cracking processes under bending load were obtained when volume fractions equal to 3% were used as reinforcement.

Characterization of Civil Construction Waste and its Incorporation to Mortar

As the preservation of the environment is a big concern nowadays, plenty of studies have arisen in order to decrease the production or reuse the waste from human activities. In this context, the civil construction industry comes up, as it is able to incorporate waste to mortar, being a great alternative for the reuse of solid waste. The scope of this work has been the characterization of Construction and Demolishment Waste (RCD) and its incorporation to the mortar aiming at the development of alternative construction materials in the future for the economical reutilization of waste discharged in embankments and landfills so far preserving the environment so far. The experimental studies taken with sample bodies, such as water absorption, resistance to compression, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence and scanning electronic microscopy, elicits the viability of the partial substitution of cement by RCD mixed waste, taking its different applications into consideration.