Index NO: EGT/16/493

UNIVERSITY OF SRI JAYEWARDENEPURA

FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY

Bachelor of Engineering Technology Honors Degree

Fouth Year First Semester Assignment01

Urban Planning, Sustainable Building Design and Construction ETB 4213

Read and follow the instructions given below.

 You must attempt ALL.

 Draw clearly labelled diagrams wherever necessary.

Name :- Nanayakkara M. U.
Index No :- EGT/16/493
Department :- Engineering Technology
Field :- Construction and Building Services

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Question 01
a) Identify and discuss the practices in recycle and reuse of construction materials in
the building construction industry.
RECYCLE AND REUSE
Recycling is a process that used to convert waste materials into new materials and
objects. The recyclability is different from material to material and that helps to reacquire the
properties to come its virgin or original state. Reuse is the action or practice of using an item,
whether for its original purpose or to fulfill a different function. It should be distinguished
from recycling, which is the breaking down of used items to make raw materials for the
manufacture of new products.
Recycling and reuse of construction and demolition materials generated at a
construction site is increasingly important. The environmental benefits of recycling and
reusing can be significant. Besides environmental benefits, recycling and reusing can have
economic benefits as well. Additionally, recycling or using material onsite can reduce
material hauling and disposal costs. Most of the construction and demolition waste are
recyclable and reusable in the industry. They are as follows.

 Asphalt

When recycling asphalt, it can bonded with cements and used in place of sand or
cement sub-bases. Also it can be crushed and recycled back into new asphalt for paved roads.

 Brick

Bricks are crushed in to form filling materials and hardcore in the industry to
make it recycled.

 Concrete

Concrete rubble from the construction and demolition wastes is also recyclable.
Most of the recycled concrete rubble is use as aggregate which is to be mix with cement and
sand to form the new concrete. Besides that, concrete waste also has a potential of being
recycled as the road base, hardcore, sub-base, general filling, paving stone, and drainage
media. Concrete waste is more suitable than the brick wastes to be form as the aggregate and
supporting agent because it is stronger than the brick.

 Ferrous metal

Metal is a material that can be 100% recycled to avoid wastage at construction

site. For ferrous metal, it is usually almost all of the steel wastes produced in the construction
industry are used to recycling to avoid material wastage. In addition, the steel is able to be
recycled and reuse for more than one time. Normally, the scrap steel produced from the
construction work can be reuse directly in other construction works. If it is unsuitable to reuse
directly, it will be recycle the scrap steel by melting it to reproduce the steel. Recycled scrap
can be use as new steel reinforcement, steel section, framing connectors, nails, structural
framing, and steel formwork.

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 Glass

When considering the recyclability of glass, building glass is almost never

recycled into new glass products. Instead it is very often crushed together with the other
building materials and put into landfills or recovered together with other construction and
demolition waste. This is facilitated by its inert characteristics. It currently has a low market
value because there is a lack of properly organized collection and recycling systems to
generate what would be a valuable glass-making raw material.

 Masonry

Masonry waste is crushed in to recycled and use as an aggregate to make thermal

insulation and as a replacement for clay in brick industry.

 Non-ferrous metal

For non-ferrous metal, since the wastes are high valued metal, thus most of them
are use to recycling in the construction industry. Among the non-ferrous metal, Aluminium is
one of the most efficient material which is recycled extensively. It is because the Aluminium
is able to repeated recycle and reuse by the ways of re-melt and reform it. The recycled
Aluminium can mostly perform the same function as primary Aluminium, since it also can
use as window components, flashing materials, roofing, siding, and ironmongeries. The
recycled zinc sheet is used for roofing, cladding and flashing, and production of brass.

 Paper and cardboard

Paper and paper board is another type of waste materials which is estimated to
comprise one-third construction and demolition wastes by volume. These waste materials are
recycled and reprocessed to produce new paper products.

 Plastic

The plastic wastes are best possible for recycling if these materials are collected
separately and cleaned. Recycling is difficult if plastic wastes are mixed with other plastics or
contaminants. Plastic may be recycled and used in products specifically designed for the
utilization of recycled plastic, such as street furniture, roof and floor, PVC window noise
barrier, cable ducting, panel.

 Timber

Timber waste from construction and demolition works is produced in large

quantity all over the world. Whole timber arising from construction and demolition works can
be utilized easily and directly for reused in other construction projects after cleaning, de-
nailing and sizing. Timber can recycled as roof member, furniture, wood bench and timber
stair.

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b) Identify and discuss the storage and disposal of construction waste practices in
building construction industry. You need to provide 5 minimum examples to
support your answer.

Construction activities can generate large amounts of waste materials that then
need to be disposed of. In addition, at the end of a building's life, it may be deconstructed or
demolished, generating significant amounts of waste. Increasingly, there are options available
in terms of reusing and recycling materials, and reducing the amount of waste produced in the
first place, but still a large amount of waste is disposed of in landfill. The construction
industry is the largest consumer of resources, requiring. Landfill waste comes from the
construction and demolition of buildings and products delivered to construction sites are sent
directly to landfill without being used.

Concrete waste is generated by demolition works and some kind of excess

concrete batching. These type of waste are collected on particular places at the site or excess
to the site. Later it will use to fill land or crushing and make crushed stone to use as aggregate
for again concrete works.

Chemical waste generated by the general activities such as cleaning,

maintenance of site equipment /grease traps etc… in the construction sites. Those waste oil
and chemicals are collected to a tank to use treatment and dispose to an excess land or those
to chemical collecting company.

Wooden material are generated by the wood processing activities of doors,

windows making and the slab formwork removal and making process etc. That will be
separated as reusable and non reusable wooden parts. The separated usable wood items such
as formwork parts will use again or transfer to another site. The wood parts which are non
reusable for work will be used to make fuel for boilers. Also that can be sold for a bio-fuel
production company.

Excavated materials are generated by site excavation. Use to store within the
site that can be used to fill lands in the same site, another site or sell for landscaping.

Metal waste is generated by various kind of building construction activities and

demolition activities. Basically store in excess to the site and use to sell those metal
components for the companies those who are recycling it.

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Question 02
a) Identify the durable construction materials in building sector and briefly discuss
the advantages and disadvantages of those.

Wood

Wood is known to be the most popular construction material. This can be owed to
the fact that it bears so many advantages and disadvantages. There are different types of
wood available. The different wood types have different properties and consequently distinct
uses. It is, thus, important to be familiar with the different types of wood and their properties.
If the wrong wood is used, then that is a potential recipe for disaster. One of the beauties of
wood is that it greatly increases curb appeal. The downside is that it is vulnerable to fire,
decay, and even water damage. If you consider wood for your construction, consider the
strength of the wood. You can use stronger wood for the foundation and the medium-soft
wood for framing.

Advantages:

Eco friendly- that mean those wood make by naturally. So that not produce any of
hazard items for the environmental.

Excellent insulator-houses are built out of brick Also have a insulation properties. That
means no Heat transfer through the wall.

Sustainable- timber is a renewable material so its sustainable material.

Weight is light weight. Also it is easy to handle.

Priced is less cost than using other material.

Disadvantage:

Shrinkage and swelling - the absorption of water that called hygroscopy and it will
cause to decay and reduce strength.

Not fire resistant

Discolored easily due to the time and weather condition.

Brick and Block

Bricks and blocks are one of the most incredible construction materials. They can
withstand just about any kind of environment while providing strong support for your
structure. Furthermore, bricks are environmentally friendly since most are manufactured with
renewable materials. One of the major benefits of bricks and block is that they are great
insulators which are advantageous when the cold season sets in. They are also durable.
However, they do require keen construction due to their heavy weight. Also, porous bricks
are highly vulnerable to mold.

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Advantage:

 Fire resistant- the natural content of material that cause to fire and stop spread the fire.
(clay mixed components)

 As an esthetic look- due to the color and shapes of brick cause to esthetic value of
building.

Disadvantage:

 Time consuming construction is happen due to the size and weight of the block.

 Since bricks absorb water easily, bricks cannot use is in high seismic zones therefore
it causes fluorescence when out.

 Color changes happen when exposing to the sunlight and rain brick color may change.

 Very less tensile strength happen due to the brick making components properties brick
having less tensile strength. That mean not suitable for bare the tensile forces. Only
use for separation walls and no-load bearing walls like make those things.

Concrete

Concrete is basically made of sand, cement, water, and air. The ratio in which the
components are mixed depends on the strength to be achieved and the structure to be
constructed. An important fact to know is that air is a very important component of concrete
and plays a critical role in ensuring the strength and durability of the structure constructed
using concrete.

Advantage:

 Ingredients of concrete making components are easily found and easy process use to
make concrete. Unlike natural stones concrete is mostly free from defects and flaws.

 Can be control properties according to our design. That means using various kind of
mix design sheet we can achieve good strength and required properties.

 Can be cast into any shapes. That is very important when doing the various types of
concrete works. That property is highly usable when doing the precast concrete
works.

 Less maintain cost. Actually after curing the concrete work, the only thing to check is
whether defects happened or not. If any defects found the fixing can be done. Such as
honeycomb repairing. Very less cost maintain cost thought the life time of concrete.

Disadvantage:

 Law tensile strength is a disadvantage of concrete. It’s like 10% of its compressive
strength. Therefore, reinforcements are use to increase the tensile strength.

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 Less ductile causes to structural failure; if not use support beams and required
standard method.

 Soluble salts cause to efflorescence of concrete. Cause to reduce the finishing of the
concrete.

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Precious Metal

While precious metals have been greatly associated with adornments and exciting
jewelry, they are actually some of the strongest materials available and can be perfect for
construction. Titanium, silver, and copper are often used in the construction of structures due
to their conductivity and the strength they provide. They are great catalysts, are resistant to
corrosion, and have expandable uses. However, they are usually reserved for finer
applications.

Advantages

 Good electrical conductance- due to that property we can use copper to our electrical
application. So can save electrical power loss due to resistance.

 Because of less reactivity it is very useful make water pipes also.

 Steel is very strong and use to make scaffoldings, reinforcement etc.

 Aluminum alloy corrosion resistance- due to that property it’s very much useful to
any weather condition its can use long time without corrosion.

Disadvantages

 Iron and steel can rust, severely weakening the structure and can be failure.

 High cost- when comparing other material like concrete. Metals are high expensive
and maintain cost also high. Example is if we make steel structure we have to paint it
recently. Because of rust it will fail the durability.

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b) Identify five local materials which are in lower embedded energy. You may
compare those with current common materials used in the construction industry.

The uses of modern building materials are carried out paying attention to the
energy intensity of materials. The natural resources and raw materials consumed by the
recycling and safe disposal and the impact on the environment. Embodied energy is a phrase
used to describe the amount of energy it takes to extract, process and manufacture and deliver
any building material. Embodied energy does not include the operation and disposal of the
building material, which would be considered in a life cycle approach. Embodied energy is
the ‘upstream’ or ‘frontend’ component of the life cycle impact of a home.

Reuse of building materials commonly saves about 95% of embodied energy that
would otherwise be wasted. However, some materials such as bricks and roof tiles may be
damaged when reused. Savings from recycling of materials for reprocessing varies
considerably, with savings up to 95% for aluminum but only 20% for glass. Also, some
reprocessing may use more energy, particularly if long transport distances are involved.

Embodied energy for common building materials

PER embodied
Material
energy MJ/kg
Kiln dried sawn softwood 3.4

Kiln dried sawn hardwood 2

Air dried sawn hardwood 0.5

Hardboard 24.2
Particleboard 8
MDF (medium density fibreboard) 11.3

Plywood 10.4

Glue-laminated timber 11

Laminated veneer lumber 11

Plastics — general 90

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) 80

Synthetic rubber 110

Acrylic paint 61.5

Stabilised earth 0.7

Imported dimensioned granite 13.9

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Local dimensioned granite 5.9

Gypsum plaster 2.9

Plasterboard 4.4

Fibre cement 4.8*

Cement 5.6

In situ concrete 1.9

Precast steam-cured concrete 2

Precast tilt-up concrete 1.9

Clay bricks 2.5

Glass 12.7
Aluminium 170

Copper 100

Galvanised steel 38

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c) List and discuss the toxic construction materials use in Sri Lanka and identify less
toxic alternatives.
Toxic material is the substances that may cause harm to an individual if it enters to
the body. Toxic material may enter the body in different way. In Sri Lankan construction
industry use most of toxic content materials. Some toxic compounds, the containing material
and alternatives for those compounds are:
(1) Asbestos
These days, asbestos fibers are found in these common building products:

Joint compound
Floor tile
cement board
Pipes
Shingles
Exposure to asbestos can lead to pulmonary diseases (diseases of the lungs) including
something you may hear on a commercial: mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer that is
usually fatal. To reduce use of asbestos contain material we have use alternatives like
cellulose fibres, thermoset plastic flour, polyurethane foams, etc.
(2) Formaldehyde
Containing materials are: Formaldehyde is commonly found in polymers used in plywood
and carpet manufacture as well as resins important to the manufacture of paper products and
polyurethane foam insulation manufacturing. Long term exposure can cause asthma-like
respiratory problems and skin irritation such as dermatitis and itching. In the construction
industry we can use to timber based board instead of use of plywood. Its can reduce
formaldehyde generation. And also most recently use formaldehyde free adhesives in
construction industry.
(3) Flame retardants
Flame retardant is a term used for a group of chemicals that are used to inhibit the ignition or
spread of fire. Halogenated flame retardants are related to PCBs, another potentially harmful
substance, and have been linked to:

Cancer
Birth defects
Endocrine disruption
Developmental problems in children

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It can be found in thermal insulation boards and many textiles, thermal insulation
board use in roof, walls and air conditioning systems. We can reduce flame retardants
material usage by using healthy alternative material carpets for air condition system and roof
wall insulations like rigid polyurethane foams with halogen free flame retardants for thermal
insulation boards.
(4) Carcinogens
In Sri Lanka we mostly use plastics in construction industry. Like PVC and other
chlorinated plastics .so those plastic materials life cycle that mean they manufacturing and
disposal events they can produce dioxin. That dioxin contains carcinogens. That is very bad
for the human body also can be affected to make cancer, liver dysfunction, vision failure,
birth defects etc… We can use ductile iron, steel, copper pipes for the PVC pipes applications
as alternatives.
(5) Silica
Silica is a natural occurring component of stones, bricks glass and concrete. Those
silica dust can travel into deep of lung and can cause to make cancers. Those silica dust
produce when cut, break, grind concrete, mortar, stone asphalt and brick and glass. However
we have to do those things but we can control those dust by using proper ventilation,
lubrication like using those things.
(6) Fiber glass
Those are type of fiber made up glass which is mostly used as a thermal insulator and
as a roofing material. Exposure to fiberglass is most prevalent among workers those who cut,
trim, chop, and sand the fiber production dust which mixes with air and dust and later enter to
the body by inhalation, ingestion cause to asthma. We can use eco-friendly insulation for as
alternatives for reduce fiber glass use.
(7) Cadmium
This is a soft malleable metal that is resistant to corrosion, insoluble in water and non-
flammable when in solid state. Use in especially steel as corrosion resistant planting. Its
compounds have been used to stabilize plastic and to color glass since they are available in
red, yellow and orange pigments. Cadmium toxic causes to pulmonary edema pneumonitis
and death. We can use vinyl based paints, polyurethane varnishes and most water based stains
as alternatives for cadmium based paints.
(8) Lead
Lead containing construction materials are paints, coatings, mortar, concrete, glazing,
flashing, solders and sheet metal. Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia,
weakness and kidney and brain damage.

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Refferences

Lecture materials
Jones, G. P. (2008). Embodied energy and carbon in construction materials. Proceedings of
the Institution ofCivil Engineers , 87 - 98.
Khatib, J. (2009). Sustainability of Construction Materials . New Delhi: Woodhead
Publishing Limited.
Luisa F. Cabezaa, C. B. (2013). Low carbon and low embodied energy materials in buildings:
A review. Elsevier , 536 - 542.
Tulay Esin, N. C. (2007). A study conducted to reduce construction waste generation in
Turkey. elsvier- science direct , 1667 -1674.

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