Environmental and economic assessment of concrete manufactured with sanitary ware waste aggregates

Abstract

Cement production as well as natural aggregates extraction are responsible for significant environmental impacts. In this context, the use of recycled materials has emerged as a strategy to mitigate these impacts. This study evaluates the environmental and economic performance of self-compacting concrete produced with aggregates derived from sanitary ware waste in four different mixes, with partial replacement of fine sand by recycled aggregate ranging from 20% to 80%. The aggregate was obtained through a controlled grinding process to achieve an appropriate granulometric distribution. Life Cycle Assessment was applied to estimate CO₂ equivalent emissions and embodied energy. Costs were determined based on unit prices of the materials. The results were normalized by compressive strength, enabling comparison among mixtures. The concretes were estimated based on data and methodologies from previous studies. The results indicated that the mixture with 40% replacement showed the most favorable balance among environmental, economic, and mechanical indicators. Although the grinding process presented high specific energy consumption (747.21 kWh/t), the impacts were mitigated by the adopted emission factor. It is concluded that the viability of using sanitary ceramic waste depends on processing conditions and the energy matrix, highlighting its potential as a sustainable alternative.