Circular Economy of Construction and Demolition Waste: A Case Study of Colombia

Henry A. Colorado, Andrea Muñoz and Sergio Neves Monteiro
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Henry A. Colorado: CCComposites Laboratory, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Calle 70 N°. 52–21, Medellín 050010, Colombia
Andrea Muñoz: CCComposites Laboratory, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Calle 70 N°. 52–21, Medellín 050010, Colombia
Sergio Neves Monteiro: Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Instituto Militar de Engenharia, Rio de Janeiro 22290-270, Brazil

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: This paper presents the results of research into construction and demolition (C&D) waste in Colombia. The data and analyses are shown in a local and Latin American context. As the situation in Colombia is quite similar to that in many developing countries worldwide, this research and its findings are potentially applicable to similar economies. Several factors were calculated and compared in order to evaluate which best fit the data from Colombia. We also included an experimental characterization and analysis of several key types of C&D waste from important infrastructure projects in Colombia, specifically by using the X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. For the quantification of CDW, a calculation was performed based on the area and four factors of volume and density, followed by an econometric analysis of the detailed information using the Hodrick–Prescott filter, which revealed the CDW trends. Our results revealed that there are limitations regarding the availability of information and effective treatments for this waste, as well as shortcomings in education and other issues, not only for Colombia but also for other countries in Latin America.

Keywords: solid waste; construction and demolition; circular economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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