Plastic flow analysis in high-rise construction projects : a case study in residential buildings | |
| Author | Rossalin Arunwatanamongkol |
| Call Number | AIT RSPR no.MPA-21-28 |
| Subject(s) | Construction industry--Waste disposal Plasticity Plastics in building |
| Note | A research study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Marine Plastics Abatement |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Plastic wastes, particularly those commonly used in building applications, such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), and composites materials, can pose environmental and human health risks if discarded in the dumpsite or landfill. Understanding the quantity, composition, and management of plastics used in construction activities is required to develop solutions to the plastic pollution caused by the building construction sector. Thailand, on the other hand, still lacks significant data in this plastic stream. This study investigated plastic flow of high-rise residential construction projects in Bangkok in 2019 using material flow analysis method. The data required for flows and stocks of the MFA were retrieved by interviewing and site observation at a case study of condominium construction site in located in Bangkok. The study revealed that around 5.5 million kg of plastics were brought into building sites, with 92% of the total coming from plastic components and 8% from plastic packaging. The three main plastic material streams were PVC pipe, uPVC conduit, and PE foam insulation. The majority of the input plastics was stored in the building elements processes (i.e. structural work, EE work, AC work, SN work, and FP work), whereas around 610,000 kg was discarded. The WGR for total plastic waste was 0.096 kg/m2 . Though most of the waste were recyclable, only about 150,000 kg of plastic waste was reused, the other 460,000 kg of plastic waste generated from high-rise residential construction sites in Bangkok ended up in dumpsites. Based on the MFA, the study also proposed three different scenarios to investigate the effective waste management. The first scenario applied source reduction at a material that was the majority of material required and had replicated material sizes. Thus, PVC pipes used in residential area were precut, decreasing the amount of plastic waste generated by around 3,600 kg. The second scenario recycled about 60% of plastic waste generated by segregating cement bag, the rest of the packaging waste, and scrap waste. The amount of plastic waste disposed to dumpsites was reduced to roughly 23% of the amount disposed in a baseline model. The last scenario proved that by combining efforts to minimize plastic waste generation and waste sorting, the amount of plastic waste delivered to disposal could be reduced to roughly 20% of the baseline model, enhancing recycling rates. A total of 330,000 kg of plastic waste was estimated to be recycled. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Research Study Project Report (RSPR) |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Marine Plastic Abatement (MPA) |
| Chairperson(s) | Ekbordin Winijkul |
| Examination Committee(s) | Thammarat Koottatep;Santoso, Djoen San |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Japan |
| Degree | Research studies project report (M.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021 |