Environmental analysis of a construction and demolition waste recycling plant in Portugal – Part I: Energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Abstract: This work is a part of a wider study involving the economic and environmental implications of managing construction and demolition waste (CDW), focused on the operation of a large scale CDW recycling plant. This plant, to be operated in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (including the Setúbal peninsula), is analysed for a 60year period, using primary energy consumption and CO2eq emission impact factors as environmental impact performance indicators. Simplified estimation methods are used to calculate industrial equipment incorporated, and the operation and transport related impacts. Material recycling – sorted materials sent to other industries, to act as input – is taken into account by discounting the impacts related to industrial processes no longer needed. This first part focuses on calculating the selected impact factors for a base case scenario (with a 350tonnes/h installed capacity), while a sensitivity analysis is provided in part two. Overall, a 60year global primary energy consumption of 71.4thousand toe (tonne of oil equivalent) and a total CO2eq emission of 135.4thousand tonnes are expected. Under this operating regime, around 563thousand toe and 1465thousand tonnes CO2eq could be prevented by replacing raw materials in several construction materials industries (e.g.: ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, paper and cardboard). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]