Performance Evaluation of Waste Materials in Construction for Sustainability

Construction and demolition (C&D) materials cause a major contribution in waste management. For this reason, due to the wide possibility to re-introduce waste materials from C&D in the building production cycle, it appears reasonable a reflection of the ratio cost/performance to create a more sustainable production chain in the construction market. In this paper it is described an experimental approach for testing performance of waste materials, combined with a multidimensional indicator of performance of construction components derived for the recycle and the reuse of C&D. The materials analyzed in this experiment are based on gypsum, that is to say one major component of pre-cast panels, plaster and bricks. In detail, the research work studies the viability and effects of using recycled aggregates from C&D waste (i.e. expanded polystyrene (EPS), ceramic and concrete waste) in a gypsum matrix to manufacture new gypsum components for interior partitions and inner layers of facades and as coating material. The paper shows not only the way to test materials, but also the way to find the economic advantage, expressed in terms of cost-performance ratio in a multicriterial assessment.