Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Life cycle analysis [LCA] can compare the environmental impact of products and processes. When waste plastic and waste concrete is not responsibly disposed of, it can end up harming sensitive ecosystems by secreting toxins into its surroundings. To utilize the waste plastic and waste concrete, a study was conducted prior to this one that mixed both recycled wastes in the same mix design. This current study will explore the environmental impacts of the alternatives of the previous study. The analysis is being conducted to determine if the alternative is truly a more sustainable alternative, or if the life of the alternative is more or just as harmful as standard concrete. SimaPro is the LCA software that will be used, and the outputted information will provide quantified environmental impacts and a comparison across all alternatives. The results across the study showed a trend that the amount of recycled concrete included in the mix correlates to the reduction in impacts. Furthermore, mixes that included only recycled plastic consistently had greater negative environmental impacts.
Publication Date
5-1-2022
Language
English
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Fenske, Allison, "LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS OF RECYCLED AGGREGATE AND RECYCLED PLASTIC IN CONCRETE" (2022). 2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects. 64.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/honors_spring2022/64