LAUSR

Abstract Ash generated during the combustion of woody biomass for energy production is an industrial waste that should be properly managed in order to minimise the respective environmental impacts. Woody biomass ash valorisation in construction materials to replace conventional materials is an alternative that has proven to be technically feasible. On the other hand, it can present potential environmental impacts that should be evaluated to support the choice of more sustainable alternatives. Thus, the purpose of this work is to assess the potential impacts of woody biomass ash valorisation of through incorporation in construction materials using life cycle assessment. The valorisation alternatives consider the incorporation of woody biomass ash in cement mortars, adhesive mortars, concrete blocks, and bituminous asphalts. In addition, a base scenario consisting of ash landfilling is also assessed. Four types of woody biomass ashes were considered, namely fly and bottom ashes generated in a vibrating grate and fly and bottom ashes generated in a fluidised bed. The impact assessment method used is that suggested in the International Reference Life Cycle Data System for selected impact categories. The results showed that the impacts of ash transport and pre-processing and the impacts of producing the avoided materials are factors that affect the net impact of the valorisation scenarios and should be considered in the end-of-life management of biomass ash. Nevertheless, all valorisation scenarios had a lower impact than landfilling in all the impact categories under study, resulting in a significant decrease of the environmental impacts in some scenarios.