Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The global quest for sustainability has intensified the requirement for waste recycling in a number of countries. Waste recycle includes Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW), which emanates from the demolition of buildings and other civil engineering structures. In Europe, the United States, China, and Australia, waste recycling has proven to be successful, both structurally and functionally. In particular, the consideration and /or use of CDW in pavement layers remain on the increase. However, in Southern Africa the use and/or application of CDW and its allied practice is limited; the abundant natural aggregates, the lack of knowledge and technical expertise besides the availability of suitable CDW remain the prominent reasons for its limited consideration. In this research, recycled material infers to Construction and Demolition Waste pertaining to Recycled Concrete and Masonry (RCM). The quality and the type of RCM vary from region to region and as a result, quality control measures aimed at limiting the inconsistency are usually required. Results revealed that secondary crushing influences the physical and mechanical behaviour of RCM aggregates; this information remains insightful in terms of material gradation, performance and viability. The compaction protocol followed and its findings revealed that the initial material grading lightly changed after compaction. However, the 10% FACT results showed that the RCM aggregates exhibit less degradation due to crushing when dry than when they are wet. It is eminent that compaction and/or densification are a cheaper method to improve the pavement layer structural capacity. However, this is reliant on material characteristics, quality, and type. With this cognisance, an experimental program in line with RCM aimed at assessing the mechanical behaviour was developed. The experimental variables include mix composition, mixing and compaction moisture as well as degree of compaction and/or compactive effort. In general, the laboratory evaluation and analysis of the results showed that the mix composition in addition to compaction moisture and the degree of compaction were influential to the obtained shear strength, resilient modulus and Poisson Ratio. Particularly, mix composition exhibited relatively higher influence on the resilient modulus while the compaction moisture effect on the Poisson Ratio dominated other investigated variables such as mix composition and the degree of compaction. Shear strength and resilient response results show that RCM exhibits significant shear strength due to its cohesion, and satisfactory resilient modulus. Pavement analysis and design using multi-layer linear-elastic model and transfer functions in pavement layers where RCM is used also revealed that this material could perform satisfactorily. It was deduced that RCM is a viable material type to consider in the construction of pavement layers that carry low to moderate levels of traffic. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die globale beweging na meer onderhoubare aktiwiteite het gelei tot die ʼn toename in vereistes met betrekking tot herwinning van rommel. Rommelherwinning sluit materiaal van bouwerke en ander siviele strukture in. In Europa, Amerika, China en Australië het die herwinning van afval materiaal tot groot sukses gelei. Spesifiek die gebruik van geselekteerde bourommel in padlae bleik om toe te neem. In Suid -Afrika word die materiaal net in enkele geïsoleerde gevalle gebruik as gevolg van die onderbreking van tegniese kennis met betrekking tot die toeganklikheid en bruikbaarheid van die materiaal. Ook, tans geniet die gebruik van gebreekte klip voorrang omdat die verbruiker glo dat daar nog baie van hierdie materiaal beskikbaar is. In hierdie navorsing verwys bourommel spesifiek na herwinde beton en boustene. Die “kwaliteit” van boustene in verskillende gebiede varieer en as ‘n gevolg moet kwaliteitskontroles toegepas word om hierdie te beperk. Resultate in diè navorsing het gewys dat sekondêre klipbreking/vergruising die fisiese en meganiese gedrag van “bourommel aggregaat” beïnvloed. Die 10% FACT (Fynstof Aggregaat Breekwaarde) resultate het ook gewys dat geselekteerde bourommel minder degradasie ondervind as dit droog is in vergelyking met nat materiaal. Goeie kompaksie van die tipe materiale word erken as een van die goedkoopste maniere om die gedrag daarvan in plaveisellae te verbeter. Dit is wel afhanklik van materiaal karakteristieke, kwaliteit en tipe materiaal. Hierdie faktore is ingesluit in die eksperimentele plan wat eienskappe soos mengsel komposisie, meng en kompaksie voginhoud sowel as graad van kompaksie insluit. Die resultate van die laboratorium analise het gewys dat die mengkomposisie, vog tydens kompaksie en graad van kompaksie ʼn invloed op die skuifsterkte, veerkragsmodulus en die Poisson verhouding het. Veral die mengkomposisie het ʼn merkwaardige invloed op die veerkragmodulus gehad, terwyl die voginhoud tydens kompaksie die grootste invloed op die Poissonverhouding gehad het. Die skuifsterkte (agv hoë kohesie) en veerkragsmodulus van geselekteerde bourommel dui aanvaarbare resultate vir die gebruik in paaie, spesifiek in padlae waar lae spanningsvlakke ondervind word,soos deur liniere elastiese berekeninge gewys is.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

Long term durability is a major concern for wide-scale use of recycled aggregate materials in civil engineering construction. The purpose of this study is to provide an insight into the damaging effects of combined wet-dry cycles and repeated mechanical loading in a recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) base course material made from recycled crushed concrete aggregate and cement. A coordinated experimental program followed by a mechanistic pavement modeling and life cycle analysis was conducted as part of this research study. This laboratory investigation was divided into three phases each consisting of both wet-dry exposed specimens (WD), and control or non wet-dry exposed specimens (NWD). Phase I experiments involved monotonic loading tests under compression and flexure to evaluate the strength properties. Phase II involved testing a total of 108 cylindrical specimens in cyclic compressive loading at three different stress ratios. After each regime of cyclic loading, residual compressive strengths were determined. In addition, the load-deformation hysteresis loops and the accumulated plastic deformation were continuously monitored through all loading cycles. Phase III included a flexural fatigue test program on 39 beam specimens, and fracture testing program on 6 notched beam specimens, each one having 19-mm initial notch. Traditional SR-N curves, relating the Stress Ratio (SR) with the number of cycles to failure (N or Nf), were developed. Fatigue crack growth rate and changes in Stress Intensity Factors were obtained to determine Paris Law constants and fracture toughness. A mechanistic analysis of a typical highway pavement incorporating RAC base was performed with KENPAVE program, followed by a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) using the GaBi software. It was found that the specimens subjected to wet-dry cycles suffered significantly higher damage expressed in terms of accumulated plastic deformation, and loss of residual compressive strength, modulus, fatigue endurance limit, and design life, compared to specimens not exposed to wet-dry cycles. Although such degradation in material properties are important considerations in pavement design, a concurrent Life Cycle Analysis demonstrated that recycled aggregate concrete base course still holds promise as an alternative construction material from environmental stand point. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:00:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Retido.pdf: 19733 bytes, checksum: 6aad255badc436a06364517de2344ab6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-04-02 / This work intends to present a diagnosis of the current situation of waste management for construction (RCC) on construction sites of construction companies operating in the city of São Carlos, SP, Brazil. For this methodology were applied as questionnaires and interviews with construction companies to the city, with views fetch results related to the stage of implementation of the management of RCC proposal by Brazilian resolution nº. 307 of the National Environment Council. Also data were collected for analysis in the municipal government sector generator. In this paper we present the results of analysis of perception of construction companies studied in relation to the management of RCC in their worksites and scaling parameter generation of RCC by licensed areas for new buildings along the City of Sao Carlos. For this parameter was concluded that San Carlos passed between the years 2009 and 2012, 2,347,694.93 m² of new construction, which reflects tremendous growth of construction in the city over the past four years. However, this table expansion was not accompanied by efficient management of waste produced in the beds, which can be seen by the increase in annual generation from 63,877.76 tonnes in 2009 to 82,413.38 tonnes in 2012. / Este trabalho apresenta o diagnóstico da atual situação da gestão dos resíduos da construção civil (RCC) em canteiros de obras de empresas construtoras atuantes no município de São Carlos SP, Brasil. Para isso, como metodologia foram aplicados questionários e entrevistas junto às empresas construtoras da cidade, com vistas buscar resultados relacionados ao estágio de implantação da gestão de RCC proposta pela resolução brasileira no307 do Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente. Também foram levantados dados na Prefeitura Municipal para análise do setor gerador. No presente trabalho são apresentados os resultados das análises de percepção das empresas construtoras estudadas em relação à gestão dos RCC em seus canteiros de obras e do dimensionamento da geração de RCC pelo parâmetro áreas licenciadas para construções novas junto a Prefeitura Municipal de São Carlos. Por este parâmetro foi possível concluir que São Carlos aprovou entre os anos de 2009 e 2012, 2.347.694,93 m2 de novas construções, o que reflete vertiginoso crescimento da construção civil na cidade nos últimos quatro anos. Porém, este quadro de expansão não foi acompanhado de gestão eficiente dos resíduos produzidos nos canteiros, o que pode ser observado pelo aumento da geração anual de 63.877,76 t em 2009 para 82.413,38 t em 2012.

Orientadores: Carmenlucia Santos Giordano Penteado, Simone Andréa Pozza / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Tecnologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T09:16:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosado_LaisPeixoto_M.pdf: 5687649 bytes, checksum: 7494800183e4de975a06593f8025ef5b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Os resíduos da construção civil (RCC) são responsáveis por uma parcela substancial dos resíduos sólidos gerados nas cidades de médio de grande porte, especialmente em países em desenvolvimento. Em geral, são vistos como resíduos de baixa periculosidade e seu impacto é associado ao grande volume gerado e ao frequente descarte em áreas inadequadas. No entanto, nestes resíduos também são encontrados resíduos perigosos, como tintas, óleos e solventes; além da possibilidade de conter materiais orgânicos e embalagens diversas que podem acumular água e favorecer a proliferação de insetos e outros vetores de doenças. Portanto, o gerenciamento destes resíduos deve considerar os impactos ambientais em todas as fases, bem como diferentes alternativas de gestão. O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver e analisar um inventário de ciclo de vida de sistemas de gestão de RCC, a fim de identificar as melhores alternativas para minimizar os impactos ambientais. A partir da ferramenta de Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV), foram comparados três cenários diferentes para o gerenciamento dos RCC do município de Limeira, uma cidade de porte médio localizada na região sudeste do Brasil, a saber: disposição em aterro de RCC Classe A; área de triagem e reciclagem e, utilização dos RCC Classe A como material de pavimentação no complexo municipal de aterros. Na elaboração da análise de inventário do ciclo de vida foram utilizados dados primários, obtidos a partir de levantamento em campo e, dados secundários, provenientes da base de dados Ecoinvent versão 2.2. (2010) e de literatura específica, considerando a unidade funcional de 1 tonelada de RCC. O método de caracterização CML2 baseline 2001 permitiu avaliar os impactos ambientais do atual sistema de gerenciamento dos RCC em Limeira e de cenários alternativos, segundo oito categorias de impacto: depleção dos recursos abióticos, alteração climática, depleção do ozônio estratosférico, toxicidade humana, ecotoxicidade aquática, oxidação fotoquímica, acidificação e eutrofização. Os resultados indicaram que o transporte dos RCC representa um papel decisivo, e que a distância entre os locais de geração para as unidades de reciclagem devem ser consideradas durante o planejamento do gerenciamento, a fim de minimizar os impactos ambientais / Abstract: Construction and demolition wastes (CD&W) account for a substantial portion of the total solid waste produced in cities large and medium-sized, especially in developing countries. They are generally seen as very dangerous waste and its impact is associated with the large volume generated and frenquent disposal in inappropriate areas. However, these residues are also found hazardous waste such as paints oils and solvents; beyond the possibility of contain organic materials and various packaging that can accumulate water and favor the proliferation of insects and other disease vectors. Therefore, the CD&W management must consider the environmental impacts at all stages, as well as from the different management alternatives. The aim of this study is to develop and analyze a life cycle inventory of C&DW management systems, in order to identify the best alternatives to minimize environmental impacts. Three different scenarios to current waste management from a case study in the City of Limeira, a medium-size town in southwest Brazil have been compared: landfilling, recycling at an inert waste sorting and treatment facility and using waste as road paving material for the landfill area. These scenarios were evaluated by means of Life Cycle Assessment, Taking the management of 1 ton of C&DW as the functional unit, the life cycle inventory was performed using primary data obtained from field survey and secondary data from the database Ecoinvent version 2.2., and from the literature. The method CML2 baseline 2001 was used for environmental impacts evaluation of the current CD&W management system and the impacts of the proposed scenarios. The impact categories considered were abiotic depletion of resources, global warming potential, ozone depletion, human toxicity, ecotoxicity, photochemical oxidation, acidification and eutrophication. The results indicated that the transport of C&DW represents a decisive role, and that the distance between the generation sites for recycling facilities should be considered when planning the management in order to minimize environmental impacts / Mestrado / Tecnologia e Inovação / Mestra em Tecnologia

University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Ce travail de thèse visait à développer des procédés d'élimination des sulfates permettant la réduction des teneurs en sulfates des DC et des sols gypsifères afin d'améliorer la qualité des déchets et des sols à des fins agricoles ou des applications de recyclage. Le concept de traitement des DC par lixiviation à l'eau a été étudié (colonne de lixiviation). Les sulfates contenus dans les lixiviats sont ensuite éliminés à l'aide d'un traitement chimique ou biologique. L'approche biologique mise en oeuvre dans ce travail a consisté à mettre en oeuvre la réduction biologique des sulfates au sein de bioréacteurs de conception différente (i.e. réacteur UASB, réacteur à lit fluidisé inverse (IFB) ou d'un réacteur anaérobie gas lift). L'efficacité d'élimination des sulfates la plus élevée atteinte par ces trois systèmes varie de 75 à 95%. L'eau traitée provenant du bioréacteur peut alors ensuite être réutilisé dans la colonne de lixiviation. Le traitement chimique des sulfates est une option alternative pour traiter les lixiviats. Plusieurs produits chimiques ont été testés, (chlorure de baryum, nitrate de plomb (II), le chlorure de calcium, le carbonate de calcium, l'oxyde de calcium, et du sable recouvert d'un mélange d'oxydes d'aluminium et de fer). Un rendement de 99,9% d'élimination des sulfates (par précipitation) a été atteint avec le chlorure de baryum et le nitrate de plomb (II).Pour le traitement des DMA et des sols gypseux, cinq types de substrat organique tel que les copeaux de bambou, les boues d'épuration des eaux usées municipales, de l'écorce de riz, de coques de noix de coco broyée et des boues d'épuration des eaux usées d'une ferme porcine ont été testés comme donneurs d'électrons pour la réduction biologique des sulfates. L'efficacité de la réduction des sulfates la plus élevé (84%) a été obtenue en utilisant un mélange d'écorce de riz, de coques de noix de coco broyée et des boues d'épuration des eaux usées d'une ferme porcine comme donneurs d'électrons. Ensuite, ce mélange organique a été utilisé pour le traitement des sols gypsifères. Le sol de la mine de gypse a été mélangé avec le mélange organique en différentes proportions (10, 20, 30 et 40% de sol). Le rendement le plus élevé de 59 % de réduction des sulfates a été atteint dans le mélange de sol qui contient 40 % de matière organique. L'élimination des sulfures présents dans l'effluent des procédés de réduction biologique des sulfates est nécessaire. En effet, les sulfures peuvent causer plusieurs impacts environnementaux ou être ré-oxydé en sulfate si ils sont directement rejetés dans l'environnement. Le traitement électrochimique des effluents est l'une des solutions alternatives pour la récupération du soufre élémentaire à partir des sulfures. Une électrode de graphite a été testée comme électrode permettant l'oxydation électrochimique des sulfures en soufre élémentaire. Une électrode en graphite de grande surface est nécessaire afin d'avoir une résistance électrique la plus faible possible. La vitesse d'oxydation des sulfures la plus élevée est atteinte lors de l'application d'une résistance de 30 Ω à une concentration en sulfure de 250 mg.L-1 / Solid wastes containing sulfate, such as construction and demolition debris (CDD), are an important source of pollution, which can create a lot of environmental problems. It is suggested that these wastes have to be separated from other wastes, especially organic waste, and place it in a specific area of the landfill. This results in the rapid rise of the disposal costs of these gypsum wastes. Although these wastes can be reused as soil amendment or to make building materials, a concern has been raised by regulators regarding the chemical characteristics of the material and the potential risks to human health and the environment due to CDD containing heavy metals and a high sulfate content. Soils containing gypsum, namely gypsiferous soils, also have several problems during agricultural development such as low water retention capacity, shallow depth to a hardpan and vertical crusting. In some mining areas, gypsiferous soil problems occur, coupled with acid mine drainage (AMD) problems which cause a significant environmental threat. Reduction of the sulfate content of these wastes and soils is an option to overcome the above mentioned problems. This study aimed to develop sulfate removal systems to reduce the sulfate content of CDD and gypsiferous soils in order to decrease the amount of solid wastes as well as to improve the quality of wastes and soils for recycling purposes or agricultural applications. The treatment concept leaches the gypsum contained in the CDD by water in a leaching step. The sulfate containing leachate is further treated in biotic or abiotic systems. Biological sulfate reduction systems used in this research were the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor, Inverse Fluidized Bed (IFB) Reactor and Gas Lift Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (GL-AnMBR). The highest sulfate removal efficiency achieved from these three systems ranges from 75 to 95%. The treated water from the bioreactor can then be reused in the leaching column. Chemical sulfate removal (abiotic system) is an alternative option to treat the CDD leachate. Several chemicals were tested including barium chloride, lead(II) nitrate, calcium chloride, calcium carbonate, calcium oxide, aluminium oxide and iron oxide coated sand. A sulfate removal efficiency of 99.9% was achieved with barium chloride and lead(II) nitrate.For AMD and gypsiferous soils treatment, five types of organic substrate including bamboo chips (BC), municipal wastewater treatment sludge (MWTS), rice husk (RH), coconut husk chip (CHC) and pig farm wastewater treatment sludge (PWTS) were tested as electron donors for biological sulfate reduction treating AMD. The highest sulfate reduction efficiency (84%) was achieved when using the combination of PWTS, RH and CHC as electron donors. Then, this organic mixture was further used for treatment of the gypsiferous soils. The gypsum mine soil (overburden) was mixed with an organic mixture in different amounts including 10, 20, 30 and 40% of soil. The highest sulfate removal efficiency of 59% was achieved in the soil mixture which contained 40% organic material.The removal of sulfide from the effluent of the biological sulfate reduction process is required as sulfide can cause several environmental impacts or be re-oxidized to sulfate if directly discharged to the environment. Electrochemical treatment is one of the alternatives for sulfur recovery from aqueous sulfide. A non-catalyzed graphite electrode was tested as electrode for the electrochemical sulfide oxidation. A high surface area of the graphite electrode is required in order to have less internal resistance as much as possible. The highest sulfide oxidation rate was achieved when using the external resistance at 30 Ω at a sulfide concentration of 250 mg L-1

Solid wastes containing sulfate, such as construction and demolition debris (CDD), are an important source of pollution, which can create a lot of environmental problems. It is suggested that these wastes have to be separated from other wastes, especially organic waste, and place it in a specific area of the landfill. This results in the rapid rise of the disposal costs of these gypsum wastes. Although these wastes can be reused as soil amendment or to make building materials, a concern has been raised by regulators regarding the chemical characteristics of the material and the potential risks to human health and the environment due to CDD containing heavy metals and a high sulfate content. Soils containing gypsum, namely gypsiferous soils, also have several problems during agricultural development such as low water retention capacity, shallow depth to a hardpan and vertical crusting. In some mining areas, gypsiferous soil problems occur, coupled with acid mine drainage (AMD) problems which cause a significant environmental threat. Reduction of the sulfate content of these wastes and soils is an option to overcome the above mentioned problems. This study aimed to develop sulfate removal systems to reduce the sulfate content of CDD and gypsiferous soils in order to decrease the amount of solid wastes as well as to improve the quality of wastes and soils for recycling purposes or agricultural applications. The treatment concept leaches the gypsum contained in the CDD by water in a leaching step. The sulfate containing leachate is further treated in biotic or abiotic systems. Biological sulfate reduction systems used in this research were the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor, Inverse Fluidized Bed (IFB) Reactor and Gas Lift Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (GL-AnMBR). The highest sulfate removal efficiency achieved from these three systems ranges from 75 to 95%. The treated water from the bioreactor can then be reused in the leaching column. Chemical sulfate removal (abiotic system) is an alternative option to treat the CDD leachate. Several chemicals were tested including barium chloride, lead(II) nitrate, calcium chloride, calcium carbonate, calcium oxide, aluminium oxide and iron oxide coated sand. A sulfate removal efficiency of 99.9% was achieved with barium chloride and lead(II) nitrate.For AMD and gypsiferous soils treatment, five types of organic substrate including bamboo chips (BC), municipal wastewater treatment sludge (MWTS), rice husk (RH), coconut husk chip (CHC) and pig farm wastewater treatment sludge (PWTS) were tested as electron donors for biological sulfate reduction treating AMD. The highest sulfate reduction efficiency (84%) was achieved when using the combination of PWTS, RH and CHC as electron donors. Then, this organic mixture was further used for treatment of the gypsiferous soils. The gypsum mine soil (overburden) was mixed with an organic mixture in different amounts including 10, 20, 30 and 40% of soil. The highest sulfate removal efficiency of 59% was achieved in the soil mixture which contained 40% organic material.The removal of sulfide from the effluent of the biological sulfate reduction process is required as sulfide can cause several environmental impacts or be re-oxidized to sulfate if directly discharged to the environment. Electrochemical treatment is one of the alternatives for sulfur recovery from aqueous sulfide. A non-catalyzed graphite electrode was tested as electrode for the electrochemical sulfide oxidation. A high surface area of the graphite electrode is required in order to have less internal resistance as much as possible. The highest sulfide oxidation rate was achieved when using the external resistance at 30 Ω at a sulfide concentration of 250 mg L-1