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Life cycle assessment (LCA) of precast concrete blocks utilizing ground granulated blast furnace slag

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Abstract

Concrete paving block (CPB) has become a popular construction material for pavements subjected to passive loads (parking, toll plazas, gas stations, and street pavements). Due to the short time in the production of CPB, the concrete block industry has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade. In this scenario, the environmental distress cannot be ignored due to the increased extraction of raw materials (fossil fuels, limestone, river sand, and crushed aggregates) in the manufacturing of CPB. The sustainability issues demand the utilization of eco-friendly materials instead of natural ones to minimize the abiotic depletion caused by the construction industry. This study investigates the technical and environmental performance of CPB production incorporating an eco-friendly mineral admixture, i.e., ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), as a cement replacement material. The optimum level of GGBS was decided based on the required engineering performance and minimal environmental impact. For the determination of the engineering performance of CPB, several parameters were considered such as compressive strength (CS), impact toughness (IT), and water absorption (WA). The environmental impact of Global Warming Potential (GWP) was assessed based on a cradle-to-gate LCA analysis. The results suggested that maximum mechanical performance and minimum GWP can be simultaneously achieved at 5–10% replacement of cement with GGBS, while to satisfy the minimum strength requirement, CPB can be prepared using 25% GGBS as a replacement for cement that accounts for 17% lower GWP than that of the conventional CPB manufacturing.

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Acknowledgements

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through a group research program under grant number R.G.P. 2/5/43.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal Campus, Sahiwal, 57000, Pakistan

    Babar Ali

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, PO Box 394, Abha, 61411, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed Hechmi El Ouni

  3. Department of Highway and Bridge Engineering, Technical Engineering College, Erbil Polytechnic University, 44001, Erbil, Iraq

    Rawaz Kurda

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Nawroz University, 42001, Duhok, Iraq

    Rawaz Kurda

  5. CERIS, Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georresources Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal

    Rawaz Kurda

  6. Applied Mechanics, and Systems Research Laboratory, Tunisia Polytechnic School, 12 University of Carthage, La Marsa, Tunis 2078, Tunisia

    Mohamed Hechmi El Ouni

Authors
  1. Babar Ali
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  2. Mohamed Hechmi El Ouni
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  3. Rawaz Kurda
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Contributions

BA: Investigation, data curation, software, writing and editing original draft. MHEO: Conceptualization, supervision, formal analysis, writing and reviewing, methodology. RK: Supervision, validation, software, writing and reviewing.

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Correspondence to Rawaz Kurda.

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Ali, B., Ouni, M.H.E. & Kurda, R. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of precast concrete blocks utilizing ground granulated blast furnace slag. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 83580–83595 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21570-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21570-7

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