Closing construction material loops in Southern Libya: A circular economy framework for date-palm residues and demolition waste

Construction in arid regions faces a dual resource challenge: growing demand for affordable materials and poorly connected recovery pathways for agricultural and demolition residues. Southern Libya provides a relevant context because date-palm cultivation coexists with infrastructure rehabilitation, yet reliable local waste inventories and certified secondary-material markets remain limited. This review critically integrates evidence on date-palm-derived fibres and products, construction and demolition waste recovery, circular construction governance, and life-cycle assessment to develop a regionally adaptable circular economy framework. A structured, non-exhaustive evidence synthesis was used to compare material properties, potential applications, quality risks, logistics constraints, and enabling institutions; no field sampling or laboratory testing was undertaken. The synthesis identifies distinct but complementary recovery routes: selective segregation of concrete and masonry for qualified aggregate applications, and controlled processing of suitable palm residues for non-structural panels and other bio-based products. It also reveals that moisture sensitivity, variable feedstock composition, contamination, transport distances, and absent traceability can undermine circularity claims. The principal result is a five-gate implementation framework connecting source identification, safety screening, conditioning, application-specific qualification, and monitored deployment, supported by a local material-exchange mechanism and auditable indicators. The proposed framework prioritizes verified performance and avoided environmental burdens over diversion rates alone. It offers municipalities, contractors, farmers, and technical institutions a practical research and policy agenda while identifying the measurements required before commercial adoption.