Life Cycle Assessment for Geopolymer Concrete Bricks Using Brown Coal Fly Ash

Jingxuan Zhang, Sarah Fernando, David W. Law, Chamila Gunasekara, Sujeeva Setunge, Malindu Sandanayake and Guomin Zhang ()
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Jingxuan Zhang: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Sarah Fernando: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
David W. Law: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Chamila Gunasekara: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Sujeeva Setunge: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Malindu Sandanayake: College of Sports, Health and Engineering, Victoria University, Footscray, VIC 3011, Australia
Guomin Zhang: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: Traditionally, the construction industry has predominantly used Portland cement (PC) to manufacture bricks, as it is one of the most-commonly available building materials. However, the employment of waste industrial material for brick production can lead to a significant improvement in terms of sustainability within the construction sector. Geopolymer bricks made from brown coal fly ash, a promising industrial waste by-product, serve as a potential alternative. Conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA), this study thoroughly evaluated the entire manufacturing process’s environmental impact, from source material acquisition and transportation to brick manufacturing, distribution, usage, and end-of-life, for brown coal bricks as compared to PC bricks. The LCA of the brown coal bricks revealed that their primary environmental impacts stemmed from the raw material manufacturing and usage, while exhibiting substantial reductions in ozone depletion, water depletion, and metal depletion. These findings highlighted the environmental advantages of the brown coal bricks and their potential to revolutionize sustainable construction practices.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; brown coal fly ash; impact assessment; cost–benefit analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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