Construction activities or sector?
Usually “construction” is considered a sector itself, englobing different activities carried out with the only purpose of constructing itself.
Traditionally, when talking about construction as a sector it is usual to think about the construction of buildings, such as houses or offices.
But there are a lot of other constructions, sometimes forgotten when talking about the “construction sector”, such as bridges or roads, hospitals, industrial facilities or sheds for cattle, which are not constructed with the purpose of having such construction, but to enable the development of the sector they serve, being a basic pillar for the day a day of the activities carried out in such sector.
For example, a hospital is not constructed with the purpose of having such a building, but to allow the development of multiple activities of the sanitary sector Likewise, sheds for cattle are constructed to fill a need of the livestock sector, having a place where the ranchers can stock their cattle. Bridges are constructed to bridges are built to allow the continuity of a road which, in turn, is built to allow mobility.
On this matter, having stated that the “construction sector” intermingles its activities with many other activities, it turns very clear that using such a term, “construction sector”, is not the best option as it tends to limit the big scope of the activities which tries to define. Instead, it is much better to talk about “construction activities”, as this term reflects more clearly the real situation.
Accordingly, when coming to a circular economy it is basic to clarify this issue. Construction activities have an extremely big importance in it, and if when talking about them we use the term “construction sector” it is very easy to lose the perspective and forget the magnitude and extent of these activities, such as their implication in it.
Furthermore, when applying the principles of the circular economy to demolition, it is essential to consider the particularities of the sector in which the work is to be carried out, as the materials that will be used will vary from one sector to another.
In this sense, for the proper management of resources and waste, below are some examples of materials that are likely to be found in some particular sectors, and whose management will require specific actions.
- Demolitions in industrial facilities:
In any demolition, the management and recovery of materials and waste, whether general waste or hazardous waste, must be carried out correctly. But in industrial demolitions, even more, attention must be paid to this aspect, if possible, as one of the main peculiarities of industrial demolition is the abundant presence of hazardous materials, especially asbestos.
It is also very common in this type of demolition to find toxic or dangerous products in storage. Before starting demolition work, it is essential to ensure that the tanks or warehouses are empty, and if they are not, it is necessary to empty them, taking into account all the safety measures to be taken depending on the type of product in question.
Concerning the materials that have been stored in the facilities to be demolished, it should not be forgotten that even if these are free of toxic products, in the past there may have been some, and these could have contaminated floors, walls, etc. In this case, the waste resulting from the demolition will be contaminated and must therefore be treated appropriately.
In addition, it should be considering that usually this type of work involves the demolition of silos, large warehouse structures, treatment of potentially polluting soils and dismantling of heavy machinery.
- Pedestrian and road traffic routes
Among the different types of civil engineering constructions, the demolition of pedestrian and road traffic routes are the ones that potentially generate the most waste. However, it is possible to reuse for the execution of embankments or fills quite a lot of demolished materials.
On this matter, the most common materials which appear in this type of demolition are, on pedestrian walkways, materials are granular material, lightly reinforced concrete, and ceramic material.
On the other hand, roads with flexible pavements use granular stone material in the structural layers and a mixture of granular material of a stone nature together with bituminous material derived from petroleum compounds for the road surface.
Roads with rigid pavements are constructed from a mixture of cement with selected aggregates of a stony nature.
In addition, it should be borne in mind that roads also have elements beyond the construction itself, such as safety and signage structures and lighting, all of which are basically made of metallic materials.
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