A comparative study of the life cycle assessment of natural, recycled, and oil palm shell aggregate concretes

This study explores the potential environmental impacts of replacing natural coarse aggregates with agricultural by-products and construction waste in concrete production. The research focuses on three types of concrete: oil palm shell aggregate concrete (OPSC), natural aggregate concrete (NAC), and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). The potential environmental impact of the concrete was assessed based on its life cycle, including abiotic depletion (fuel), global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, photochemical oxidation. In assessing these impacts, we considered the functional unit of 1 m 3 and the compressive strength, CO 2 uptake over a 25-year service life of the concrete, and the allocation between natural and recycled aggregate concrete production. Preliminary findings indicate that recycled aggregate concrete is the lowest potential environmental impacts among the other concretes. The results show that RAC demonstrated the lowest environmental impact, with 8.6 % lower GWP, 10.2 % lower acidification, and 11.4 % lower abiotic depletion compared to NAC. While OPSC offered reductions in cement-related impacts but had higher transport-related emissions due to long distance transportation of raw materials. • Evaluates the environmental impact of replacing natural aggregates with agro-waste and recycled aggregates in the concrete. • Compares the environmental impacts of OPSC, RAC, and NAC using 1 m 3 and compressive strength as the functional unit. • Assessment covers abiotic depletion, global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, and photochemical oxidation. • Calculates CO 2 uptake over a 25-year service life for each concrete type, and mass allocation between NAC and RAC production. • RAC has the lowest environmental impact, highlighting its promise as an eco-friendly concrete solution.