Traditional Building Materials and Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites. A Sustainability Approach in Construction Sector

摘要

It is well-known that the construction industry is among the largest consumers of material, energy and a significant polluter. From the extraction of raw materials to disposal and recycling, the entire life cycle of a construction has a significant environmental impact. The manufacturing/ processing of materials represents an important phase in the life cycle of constructions which has a negative effect on the environment. Accordingly, the construction materials industry has made tremendous progress towards fulfilling some of the most important goals of the sustainability concept. In order to reduce impact on the environment of new or existing constructions, the civil and structural engineers possess an important role. By using specific solutions and systems or other types of civil engineering applications, some objectives of sustainability can be achieved. Fibre reinforced polymeric (FRP) composite materials that are used for structural rehabilitation or are included in new structures, can be sustainable if the life span of the structures is highly increased with very low environmental impact and a minimum use of material resource. The main objective of this paper is to identify the specific challenges associated with both traditional civil engineering and FRP composite materials and their applicability in a sustainable environment.