Eco-Efficiency of Concrete Sandwich Panels with Different Insulation Core Materials

Bruna Moura, Tiago Ramos da Silva, Nelson Soares and Helena Monteiro (himonteiro@isq.pt)
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Bruna Moura: Low Carbon & Resource Efficiency, R&Di, Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, R. do Mirante 258, 4415-491 Grijó, Portugal
Tiago Ramos da Silva: Low Carbon & Resource Efficiency, R&Di, Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, R. do Mirante 258, 4415-491 Grijó, Portugal
Nelson Soares: University of Coimbra, ADAI, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rua Luís Reis Santos, Pólo II, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
Helena Monteiro: Low Carbon & Resource Efficiency, R&Di, Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, R. do Mirante 258, 4415-491 Grijó, Portugal

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Given the current need to improve the thermal and energy performance of buildings, special attention has been given to the building envelope and materials. Concrete sandwich panels (CSPs) are versatile composite construction elements whose popularity is increasing given their properties, e.g., good thermal and acoustic insulation, durability, and fire resistance. Nevertheless, besides their properties, it is important to evaluate the sustainability of composite panels under development. This work aims to assess the eco-efficiency of six CSPs with distinct insulation materials: lightweight concrete (LWC), cork, glass wool, and expanded polystyrene (EPS). Coupling both life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) analysis, this study derives eco-efficiency indicators to inform decisions regarding CSP environmental and economic performances. The results of the LCA and LCC showed that the high-performance concrete (HPC) layer was the main hotspot of the CSPs in all scenarios. Moreover, the best scenario changed when different environmental impact categories were considered. Thus, using multiple environmental indicators is recommended to avoid problem-shifting. Considering the final cost, the CSP with cork is the most expensive panel to produce, with the other five options having very similar manufacturing prices. On average, raw material inputs, labour, and material delivery account for 62.9%, 18.1%, and 17.1% of the total costs, respectively. Regarding the eco-efficiency results, the most eco-efficient scenario changed with the environmental indicator used. Cork seems to be the best option when considering the carbon footprint of the panels, whereas when considering other environmental indicators, the recycled EPS scenario has the best eco-efficiency and the CSP with cork the worst.

Keywords: construction material; sustainability; LCA; LCC; environmental impacts; economic performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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