Marcelo González

This article investigates the use of copper slag (CS), a massive waste product of the mining industry, as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in concrete mixes for potential pavement applications, evaluating its mechanical properties and durability against aggressive agents. Experimentally, it was observed that replacing up to 20% (volume) of the cement with CS does not significantly reduce flexural and tensile strength (FT), and that 10% CS increases long-term FT strength (360 days) by 3.3% compared to the reference concrete (without CS). Furthermore, a reduction in water penetration depth of 36% and 38% was recorded at 28 and 90 days, respectively. It is concluded that CS has potential use in concrete mixes for pavements, with adequate structural performance and a lower environmental impact, although further specific pavement studies are needed to validate these findings.

The construction industry, responsible for 39% of global greenhouse gas emissions, faces an urgent need for decarbonization to meet Net Zero Emissions by 2050. Addressing this challenge in the context of issues like structural fragmentation and complex value chains requires innovative solutions and accelerated implementation. This special issue of the Revista Ingeniería de Construcción presents contributions from academics and practitioners across multiple countries, exploring critical decarbonization trends in the industry. Featured topics include low-carbon materials, recycling innovations, material design and performance, use of industrial by-products, and infrastructure quality assurance and preservation. The findings underscore the need for collaboration, innovation, and research to advance sustainable practices, aligning the construction sector with global decarbonization goals. This work invites stakeholders to contribute to transforming construction towards a more sustainable future.

The rise in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, has significantly contributed to global warming, with the residential and commercial building sectors playing a key role. Improving building energy efficiency through enhanced insulation is a crucial strategy for reducing CO2 emissions. However, conventional insulation materials have a high embodied carbon footprint, which limits their effectiveness in mitigating climate change. Biocomposites have emerged as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional materials. Countries like Chile, with their abundant agricultural fibers, show significant potential for fabricating biocomposites. This paper identifies the most produced fibers in Chile, including eucalyptus bark, wheat straw, rice husk, corn stalks, and walnut shells, and explores their potential use in the creation of sustainable biocomposite insulation materials.

Offsite construction methods have shown many advantages over traditional construction techniques, especially related to efficiency and productivity during the construction phase. Nevertheless, offsite construction generally involves oversizing the internal structure of the modules due to the internal stresses produced during transport and lifting operations, producing an increase in material usage, direct cost, and carbon footprint. In developing countries, the direct cost of social housing is the most important factor determining the feasibility of construction. For this reason, oversizing the internal structure of the modules can play an important role in the adoption of a modern construction technique such as offsite construction systems. In order to solve this issue, a temporary reusable stiffener structure is proposed to allow an economical offsite construction system using a lightweight steel framing structure used in traditional methods. The reusable structure was designed using a finite element method, and the direct cost and carbon footprint of the structure were evaluated. The results show that the proposed construction strategy allows for a low cost and reduced environmental impact due to a lower usage of materials in the modules and the possibility of a circular economy approach to the reusable structure.