Product-specific life cycle assessment of recycled gypsum as a replacement for natural gypsum in ordinary Portland cement: application to the Spanish context

摘要

The construction industry consumes large quantities of natural resources and simultaneously generates a considerable amount of construction and demolition waste (CDW). This includes gypsum waste (GW), which must be managed correctly. Besides, the cement manufacturing process, which is part of the construction industry, has a high environmental impact. Therefore, the aim of this study was to recover GW and use it in the manufacture of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), to improve waste management and minimize environmental impacts. To achieve this, we evaluated and compared the environmental impacts of the gypsum production process (primary and secondary [recycling] production) and the environmental impact of the use of recycled gypsum (RG) in the production of OPC. We used the methodology of life cycle assessment, and selected the IMPACT 2002+ as impact assessment method.