LAUSR

Abstract Building energy and construction and demolition waste (CDW) are highly relevant but intertwined issues for the transition towards a carbon-neutral and circular built environment. Ongoing energy renovation uses an increasing number of emerging materials that pose a challenge for recycling. As a response, a novel technological system has been proposed to recycle CDW (including insulation mineral wool and lightweight concrete) for the manufacture of prefabricated concrete elements (PCEs) for use as facades for new (PCE-new) and retrofitting existing (PCE-refurbs) buildings. To explore how this novel system can improve recycling potential as part of building energy renovation efforts, the Dutch residential building stock was selected as a case study. Using a dynamic material flow analysis, we explore the supply-demand balance of secondary raw materials made from CDW (including normal-weight and lightweight concrete, glass, insulation mineral wool, and steel) and the secondary raw materials required for manufacturing PCEs in building energy renovation for the period 2015–2050. Our findings show that with advanced recycling technology, the secondary raw materials recovered from normal-weight concrete waste, glass waste, insulation mineral wool waste, and steel scrap will be more than sufficient to support the manufacturing of PCE-new walls, implying the possibility of closed-loop construction. However, for emerging materials such as lightweight concrete, the related waste will not be sufficient in the near future to meet the raw material demand for large-scale refurbishment with PCE-refurbs. Therefore, the Dutch case shows that the novel technology system offers a promising solution to CDW management problems in building energy renovation, but primary raw materials will still be needed for the increased use of emerging materials such as lightweight concrete.