Circular Bioeconomy in the Amazon Rainforest: Evaluation of Açaí Seed Ash as a Regional Solution for Partial Cement Replacement

Joaquin Humberto Aquino Rocha (), Andréia Arenari de Siqueira, Marco Antonio Barbosa de Oliveira, Lucas da Silva Castro, Lucas Rosse Caldas, Nathalie Barbosa Reis Monteiro and Romildo Dias Toledo Filho
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Joaquin Humberto Aquino Rocha: Civil Engineering Program, Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa de Engenharia, COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil
Andréia Arenari de Siqueira: Civil Engineering Program, Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa de Engenharia, COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil
Marco Antonio Barbosa de Oliveira: Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Pará, IFPA, Campus Belém, Belém 66093-020, Brazil
Lucas da Silva Castro: Civil Engineering College, Universidade Federal do Pará, UFPA, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
Lucas Rosse Caldas: Civil Engineering Program, Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa de Engenharia, COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil
Nathalie Barbosa Reis Monteiro: Centro de Ciências Sociais e Aplicadas, CCSA, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, São Paulo 01302907, Brazil
Romildo Dias Toledo Filho: Civil Engineering Program, Instituto Alberto Luiz Coimbra de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa de Engenharia, COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-972, Brazil

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: Açaí seed ash (ASA) is a waste product from processing the açaí fruit and burning the seeds for cogeneration purposes. The present study evaluated the use of ASA from the Brazilian Amazon as partial Portland cement replacement in self-leveling mortars (SLM) for social-interest buildings. The fresh and hardened state properties of mortars were accessed with 5% and 10% ASA content, and a life cycle assessment was performed to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The maximum transport distance to enable ASA as a building material was determined by a sensitivity analysis, and specific carbon-efficiency indicators for SLM were proposed and validated. The results showed that using up to 10% ASA as cement replacement was technically and environmentally feasible since the mechanical performance was maintained and GHG emissions decreased up to 8%. The sensitivity analysis revealed that transport efficiency is crucial for ASA applications far from its production area; therefore, it should be evaluated as a regional building material. The work brings an important contribution to regional sustainable development by assessing the characteristics of a residual material and proposing the reuse of waste, reducing GHG emissions from the cement industry, and stimulating the circular bioeconomy in the Brazilian Amazon region.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; GHG emissions; carbon-efficiency indicator; self-leveling mortar; local solution; transport efficiency; Brazil (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 (1)

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