Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Quantifying construction waste reduction through the application of prefabrication: a case study in Anhui, China

  • Waste and Biomass Management & Valorization
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Due to the rapid pace of urbanization in China, there has been a significant increase in construction work, which has resulted in the generation of more waste. Reducing the waste at source is the most efficient way to reduce its negative impacts, and prefabrication is a construction method that does exactly that. Since prefabricated construction generates less waste compared to conventional cast-in-situ construction, it is being promoted by the Chinese government. This study investigates the benefits of prefabrication and quantifies the percentage of construction waste reduction through its application in China. It does so by using a 26-storey concrete-brick residential building as a case study, and by conducting uncertainty analysis with Oracle Crystal Ball simulation software to assess the reduction of waste when using prefabricated components in place of cast-in-situ elements. Simulation results demonstrated that the waste generation rate for in-situ timber formwork and masonry work was 10.52 and 4.77 kg/m2 respectively, and that the use of prefabricated components reduced those figures by 36.04% and 25.53% respectively. This study quantifies the benefits of prefabrication as a method for reducing the generation of construction waste in China. Not only would extensive use of prefabrication decrease the cost related to construction waste management in China, but it could also mitigate the environmental and social impacts of construction waste globally.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bakchan A, Faust KM (2019) Construction waste generation estimates of institutional building projects: leveraging waste hauling tickets. Waste Manag 87:301–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bakshan A, Srour I, Chehab G, El-Fadel M (2015) A field based methodology for estimating waste generation rates at various stages of construction projects. Resour Conserv Recycl 100:70–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbudo A, Ayuso J, Lozano A, Cabrera M, López-Uceda A (2020) Recommendations for the management of construction and demolition waste in treatment plants. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27:125–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao X, Li X, Zhu Y, Zhang Z (2015) A comparative study of environmental performance between prefabricated and traditional residential buildings in China. J Clean Prod 109:131–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Z, An C, Boufadel M, Owens E, Chen Z, Lee K, Cao Y, Cai M (2019) Use of surface-washing agents for the treatment of oiled shorelines: research advancements, technical applications and future challenges. Chem Eng J:123565

  • Chen Z, An C, Fang H, Zhang Y, Zhou Z, Zhou Y, Zhao S (2020) Assessment of regional greenhouse gas emission from beef cattle production: a case study of Saskatchewan in Canada. J Environ Manag 264:110443

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • China State Council (2016) Guidance on the development of prefabricated buildings. General Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

  • Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction of Shandong Province (2016) Shandong Province’s consumption quota for building construction

  • Ding Z, Gong W, Tam VW, Illankoon ICS (2019) Conceptual framework for renovation waste management based on renovation waste generation rates in residential buildings: An empirical study in China. J Clean Prod 228:284–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guerra BC, Bakchan A, Leite F, Faust KM (2019) BIM-based automated construction waste estimation algorithms: the case of concrete and drywall waste streams. Waste Manag 87:825–832

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong J, Shen GQ, Li Z, Zhang B, Zhang W (2018) Barriers to promoting prefabricated construction in China: a cost–benefit analysis. J Clean Prod 172:649–660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaillon L, Poon CS (2008) Sustainable construction aspects of using prefabrication in dense urban environment: a Hong Kong case study. Constr Manag Econ 26:953–966

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaillon L, Poon CS, Chiang Y (2009) Quantifying the waste reduction potential of using prefabrication in building construction in Hong Kong. Waste Manag 29:309–320

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kofoworola OF, Gheewala SH (2009) Estimation of construction waste generation and management in Thailand. Waste Manag 29:731–738

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lau HH, Whyte A, Law P (2008) Composition and characteristics of construction waste generated by residential housing project. Int J Environ Res 2:261–268

    Google Scholar 

  • Li J, Ding Z, Mi X, Wang J (2013) A model for estimating construction waste generation index for building project in China. Resour Conserv Recycl 74:20–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Z, Shen GQ, Alshawi M (2014) Measuring the impact of prefabrication on construction waste reduction: an empirical study in China. Resour Conserv Recycl 91:27–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Sun T, Yang L (2017) Evaluating the performance and intellectual structure of construction and demolition waste research during 2000–2016. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24:19259–19266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Gong E, Wang D, Lai X, Zhu J (2019) Attitudes and behaviour towards construction waste minimisation: a comparative analysis between China and the USA. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26:13681–13690

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu W, Yuan H (2013) Investigating waste reduction potential in the upstream processes of offshore prefabrication construction. Renew Sust Energ Rev 28:804–811

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu W, Yuan H, Li J, Hao J, Mi X, Ding Z (2011) An empirical investigation of construction and demolition waste generation rates in Shenzhen city. South China Waste Manag (Oxford) 31:680–687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction of the People's Republic of China (2016) Consumption quota for prefabricated building construction

  • National Bureau of Statistics of China (2018) 2018 China statistical yearbook

  • Nie Z, Yang Z, Fang Y, Yang Y, Tang Z, Wang X, Die Q, Gao X, Zhang F, Wang Q (2015) Environmental risks of HBCDD from construction and demolition waste: a contemporary and future issue. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22:17249–17252

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poon CS, Yu AT, Jaillon L (2004) Reducing building waste at construction sites in Hong Kong. Constr Manag Econ 22:461–470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solís-Guzmán J, Marrero M, Montes-Delgado MV, Ramírez-de-Arellano A (2009) A Spanish model for quantification and management of construction waste. Waste Manag 29:2542–2548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun W, An C, Li G, Lv Y (2014) Applications of inexact programming methods to waste management under uncertainty: current status and future directions. Environ Syst Res 3:15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tam VW, Hao JJ (2014) Prefabrication as a mean of minimizing construction waste on site. Int J Constr Manag 14:113–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Tam VW, Tam C, Chan JK, Ng WC (2006) Cutting construction wastes by prefabrication. Int J Constr Manag 6:15–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Tam VW, Tam CM, Zeng S, Ng WC (2007) Towards adoption of prefabrication in construction. Build Environ 42:3642–3654

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tam VW, Fung IW, Sing MC, Ogunlana SO (2015) Best practice of prefabrication implementation in the Hong Kong public and private sectors. J Clean Prod 109:216–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umar UA, Shafiq N, Malakahmad A, Nuruddin MF, Khamidi MF (2017) A review on adoption of novel techniques in construction waste management and policy. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 19:1361–1373

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Hao J, Ho CM (2003) Prefabricated building construction systems adopted in Hong Kong, Proc. of the International Association for Housing Science on Word Congress of Housing: Process and Product, Montreal, Canada

  • Zhang N, Zheng L, Duan H, Yin F, Li J, Niu Y (2019) Differences of methods to quantify construction and demolition waste for less-developed but fast-growing countries: China as a case study. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26:25513–25525

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of RDF (2016-01-32) and SURF2017, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and to thank Anhui Construction Engineering Real Estate Co., Ltd. for providing the research team with access to their construction site for data collection.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 111 Ren’ai Road, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Jianli Hao

  2. Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

    Zhikun Chen

  3. Anhui Construction Engineering Real Estate Co. Ltd, Huaibei, Anhui, China

    Zihan Zhang

  4. Department of Architecture, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China

    Gisela Loehlein

Authors
  1. Jianli Hao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhikun Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zihan Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gisela Loehlein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianli Hao.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hao, J., Chen, Z., Zhang, Z. et al. Quantifying construction waste reduction through the application of prefabrication: a case study in Anhui, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 24499–24510 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09026-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09026-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation