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Pulp and paper mill biomass boilers generate large quantities of ash in Canada with British Columbia (BC) being the highest ash generating province followed closely by Quebec. Generally, the generated ash is landfilled, particularly in BC, with only a small amount being used beneficially. It is anticipated that the difficulty associated with the management of ash will worsen over time as the industry increases its reliance on green fuel. Thus, there is a strong need to identify beneficial uses of pulp and paper boiler ash for the sake of environmental and economic sustainability. The purpose of this report is to provide the first step in this direction, a review of proposed or implemented uses for coal and hog (or wood) ash around the world. Considering both the properties of the ash and local opportunities, this could be the first step toward screening the applications that may apply to individual mills. Several large-scale practices use ash, such as land application (as a nutrient source or as a liming agent), use in the construction industry (as a replacement for cement or as a fill material), and reclamation of mine sites and stabilization of unpaved forest roads. In some cases, relatively small-scale applications have been used which included uses such as a compost component, agent for pH adjustment of liquid streams and slurries, blasting abrasive, and source of quartz for glass manufacturing to name a few. It is important to note that the chemical nature of both fly and bottom ashes can be quite variable due to the type of wood residues combusted as well as combustion equipment used and must be considered in identifying beneficial applications., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) education communities are increasingly facing challenges caused by social, technological, economic, environmental, and political changes. Addressing these issues requires AEC educators and practitioners to systematically rethink and reform many of their current practices. Anecdotal evidence in AEC education already exists with respect to pedagogical improvements made by individual technologies such as immersive computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, cyberinfrastructure, and photogrammetry. However, an effective learning-centered environment is more complex than what any single technology can accomplish. In addition, the relationship between technology-intensive learning and digital inequity in AEC education remains, to the most extent, unclear. We envision the next-generation learning-centered environment for AEC education to be technology-intensive, interdisciplinary, industry-linked, and equitable. This paper aims to present a shared vision of the next-generation learning-centered environment for AEC education. To achieve this goal, two interrelated workshops were organized with the participation of different stakeholders, including researchers, educators, and professionals from multiple disciplines of architecture, engineering, construction, computer science, learning science, education, and social sciences. This paper is based on the combined outcomes of the two workshops, organized in four themes: (1) AEC curricula and industry practice, (2) technology and learning, (3) interdisciplinary education, and (4) digital inequity. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by creating a pathway to timely reflect on new learning strategies, new technologies, and future industry and societal needs in AEC curricula, thus producing a more adaptive AEC workforce for the 21st century. The findings of this work can be adopted by educators to develop a roadmap for creating the shared vision of the next-generation learning-centered environment for AEC education.

Many researchers in the construction field have explored the utilization of augmented reality (AR) and its impact on the industry. Previous studies have shown potential uses for AR in the construction industry. However, a comprehensive critical review exploring the ways in which AR supports synchronized communication is still missing. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining trends identified in the literature and by analyzing both beneficial and challenging attributes. This work was performed by collecting numerous journal and conference papers, using keywords including "augmented reality", "construction", and "synchronous communication". The papers were then categorized based on the reported attributes that were indicated to be challenges or benefits. Throughout the analysis, several benefits were consistently reported, including training, visualization, instantly sharing information, decision making, and intuitive interaction. Similarly, several challenges were consistently reported, such as difficulty in manipulation, unfriendly interface, device discomfort, and sun brightness. Regarding other attributes, such as field of view, cost, safety hazards, and hands-free mode, researchers provided divergent reports regarding whether they were beneficial or detrimental to AR communication. These findings provide valuable guidance for future researchers and practitioners, enabling them to leverage AR for synchronized communication in ways that consistently offer value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there is a surge in the adoption of green construction practices (GCP) to address and attempt to alleviate the adverse effects of construction activities on the natural environment. The current research surrounding sustainability in the industry has witnessed a notable surge in efforts, primarily driven by a growing consciousness of environmental concerns. In this context, it is worth noting that the focus of assessment schemes in developed countries has predominantly gravitated toward economic and environmental factors, with relatively less emphasis placed on social performance (SP). Many researchers have underscored this disparity, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach encompassing all three sustainability dimensions. Hence, the present research examines the effects of green construction practices on economic performance (ECP) while considering the mediating role of environmental performance (EP) and SP. The results showed no direct impact of GCP on ECP. However, the mediating role of SP and EP in the association between GCP and ECP was found to be statistically significant. The present study provides several implications. This study presents empirical evidence that implementing GCP yields several benefits for contractors, including cost reduction in waste management, legal expenses, and energy consumption. These cost savings effectively offset the initial investment required to implement GCP, enabling construction projects to attain ECP thresholds. This study provides a significant contribution to the expanding corpus of knowledge concerning green building site practices and construction management. It offers novel insights into the influence of a project's EP and SP on its economic feasibility. Furthermore, this research study has effectively showcased the positive impact of GCP on construction projects' environmental construction performance, particularly concerning environmental and social considerations. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:1396-1406. © 2024 SETAC., (© 2024 SETAC.)

Three-dimensional (3D) printing with earth-based mortar is still under development and faces challenges. Optimising the mortar mixture, improving structural strength, determining the relationship between the printing speed and the amount of extruded material, and ensuring long-term durability are areas that are being refined. Additionally, regulatory and certification issues must also be considered to ensure the safety and compliance of 3D printed structures. This paper presents for discussion the records, analyses, studies, and considerations regarding initial initiatives involving 3D printing with the extrusion of earth-based mortar developed at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). Through this work, it was possible to strengthen and reaffirm that 3D printing with earth-based mortar has significant potential in the construction industry and that the incorporation of dispersed kraft paper fibres from the recycling of cement bags is an excellent resource to achieve good constructability in 3D printing with earth-based mortar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This prospective study aimed to assess the physical and psychological health of construction workers and examine the relationship between their well-being and the preventive measures implemented against SARS-CoV-2., Methods: During occupational visit, the workers were invited to participate the survey. Two measurements were made and compared: after the Italian lockdown and on the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic., Results: Fifty-three workers participated in the study. The percentage of workers who considered themselves in good health increased from 66.0% to 81.1%, and there was a significant decrease in the 12-item General Health Questionnaire score (16.8 vs 14.0, P = 0.0003). This reduction was associated with a higher perception of security by preventive measures., Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of addressing the health and safety concerns of construction workers during the pandemic, and the positive impact of effective preventive measures., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.)

Background: To determine if construction and trades workers formerly employed at US Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons sites are at significant risk for occupational diseases, we studied the mortality experience of participants in the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed)., Methods: The cohort included 26,922 participants enrolled between 1998 and 2021 and 8367 deaths. Standardized mortality ratios were calculated based on US death rates. Cox models compared construction workers (n = 22,747; 7487 deaths) to two nonconstruction subpopulations: administrative, scientific and security workers (n = 1894; 330 deaths), and all other nonconstruction workers (n = 2218; 550 deaths)., Results: Mortality was elevated for all causes, all cancers, cancers of the trachea, bronchus, lung, kidneys, and lymphatic and hematopoietic system, mesothelioma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asbestosis, transportation injuries, and other injuries, particularly accidental poisonings. There were 167 deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was lower than expected using US death rates. Overall cause-specific mortality was significantly higher among construction workers than for internal comparison groups., Conclusions: Construction workers employed at DOE sites have a significantly increased risk for occupational illnesses. Apart from COVID-19 deaths, this update: (1) found that mortality among construction workers is significantly elevated compared to the US population and significantly higher than in the internal comparison populations, and (2) confirmed excess risk for these workers for first employment after 1990. Cancer mortality risks are similar to the cancers identified for DOE compensation from radiation exposures. The high lung cancer risk supports the value of early lung cancer detection. Continued medical surveillance is important., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Local authorities worldwide are actively encouraging waste material trading within their jurisdictions as a promising strategy to develop a more circular economy. Construction activities consume natural resources intensively and generate massive solid waste. With proper ex-post treatment, the waste materials can be recycled or even directly reused, hence contributing to the circular economy. Using the Hong Kong-Macao-Guangdong Greater Bay Area (GBA) as the context, we simulate the impacts of a construction waste trading market on the waste flows and the resulting monetary exchanges. Our model views each city as a representative agent that maximizes the benefit of conducting waste recycling. The interactions of their profit-seeking behavior will lead to optimized overall social costs. We then solve this problem using a non-linear optimization algorithm. The simulation shows that with a fully operational market, the traded waste materials amount to 1253.84 million m 3 , covering 82.36% of GBA's total construction waste generation in a typical year. The monetary transactions equal to US$38.41 billion. Such huge payments present a great opportunity for the GBA cities to develop their recycling industries. In addition, we argue that although increasing public pressure is effective in reducing inequalities in the final waste distribution, it also results in fewer financial transactions flowing to less-developed cities, which reduces their funding for developing the circular economy., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background Study: Virtual reality (VR) is becoming a popular technology for safety training in construction. Several VR training prototypes have been designed and tested, which show they can perform better than traditional training tools. However, most of these existing tools are not underpinned by clear pedagogical theory, and studies assessing the impact of pedagogical theories on the effectiveness of VR prototypes are still rare in the literature. Objectives: This study aims to investigate if and how the productive failure theory and the directive instruction theory have an impact on the effectiveness of VR safety training for confined space workers. Methods: The study used a randomized controlled method involving 74 participants. The effectiveness of these two training methods was assessed in terms of knowledge acquisition and retention. Results and Conclusions: The results illustrate that the productive failure training design performed better in terms of knowledge acquisition and retention. This paper introduces the Productive Failure Theory and shows the great potential of this approach for self-service VR safety training in the field of construction.