Toward Declaring Environmental Footprints of Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate and Concrete Products

This paper addresses sustainability concerns with the production and application of lightweightexpanded clay aggregate and concrete. The environmental footprints of cement production are primaryconcerns with the sustainability of concrete materials. Production of structural lightweight expandedaggregates has similar impacts. However, the application of lightweight aggregate and concretesignificantly compensates for those footprints by reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gasemissions during transportation and construction processes. Lightweight concrete also provides additionalbenefits during the use stages such as extended service life for exposed systems in adverse environmentalconditions, thermal insulation for enclosed buildings, fire resilience, and others. Hence, a realisticassessment of environmental footprints requires a lifecycle analysis of construction materials, means, andmethods to determine the fitness of lightweight aggregate and concrete products in various applications.The presented analysis addresses data mining and analyses using international standards. Results highlightessential footprints, including greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, freshwater use, and wastemanagement. Conclusions facilitate decision-making processes for the selection of materials and systemsand contribute to the optimization of production and construction operations to minimize environmentalfootprints associated with concrete materials. Outcomes form standard documentation, including productcategory rules and environmental product declarations

Keywords:

lightweight aggregate , lightweight concrete , environmental footprints , greenhousegas emissions , energy , freshwater , waste