Life cycle assessment of a novel fire-resistant and thermal insulating composite developed by alkali-activation of recycled ceramic tiles and comparison to conventional products

Abstract This study presents the environmental impact assessment of a newly developed geopolymer composite that combines fire-resistance and thermal insulation. The innovative product is developed through alkali-activation of ceramic titles retrieved from construction demolition waste. A comparative Life Cycle Assessment with conventional market products is performed, based on equivalent thermal and fire resisting performance. The analysis considers the amount of material required to cover a specific exterior wall area that would provide equal thermal insulation and fire-resistance, defining a functional unit that deliberates both properties. The results show that manufacturing the novel geopolymer composite over conventional market products, significantly reduces CO 2 emissions and other environmental impacts. This is primarily due to the reuse of waste ceramic tiles, which promotes sustainability in the construction industry. The promising findings of this study encourage the use of construction demolition waste in the development of geopolymer products for added value applications. Graphical Abstract