Reprocessed construction and demolition waste as an adsorbent: An appraisal

Shiran Pallewatta, Madara Weerasooriyagedara, Sanandam Bordoloi, Ajit K. Sarmah, Meththika Vithanage

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Construction and Demolition (CD) waste is solid wastes generated from the construction, demolition, and renovation activities that constitute almost 30–40  economy, and human health. Most research on CD waste is limited to reduction, recycling, and reuse of the wastes. However, there is no systematic review dedicated entirely to the applicability of CD wastes as adsorbent for waste management. This review presents the utilization of CD wastes-based adsorbents for removing contaminants from environmental matrices covering triple edge benefits in the viewpoints of waste treatment, solid waste management, and disposal. The properties, the capability of CD waste adsorbents on contaminant removal, and the influence of various on the adsorptive removal is detailed. Further, the mechanisms involved in contaminant removal by CD waste are summarized. The review revealed that, chemisorption is the prominent mechanism of contaminant removal by most CD wastes. Among the three types of CD waste reviewed; concrete-based adsorbents were the most efficient for contaminant removal. Due to the lack of studies on binary and multiple contaminant systems, reusability studies, and high dependence on solution pH, further studies are needed. As CD waste contain trace concentration of heavy metals and contaminants, its leaching potential at different pH levels and adsorbate concentration need to be conducted, which has been hitherto neglected. Finally, the approaches, obstacles, and potential solutions to build an industrially and economically efficient CD adsorbent are discussed.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number163340
JournalScience of the Total Environment
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 15 2023

Keywords

  • ISTC
  • Construction and demolition waste
  • Environmental remediation
  • Adsorption
  • Contaminant removal
  • Masonry
  • Concretes

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