Preparation, characterization, and life cycle assessment of aer-ated concrete blocks: A case study in Guayaquil city, Ecuador

The project aims to evaluate the application of aerated concrete blocks for the construction of single-family homes in Guayaquil, Ecuador, through a comparison with conventional materials. The design of the structural elements was carried out according to the NEC-2015 and ACI 318-14 standards, in which a 36% reduction in the dead load of the structure was achieved by applying aerated concrete blocks in the masonry of the house. Therefore, the sections of the structural element turned out to be smaller in the design with this new alternative. With a life cycle analysis, a quantification of the most relevant impacts generated during the production and construction phase was obtained. In this way, the most contributing process is the Clínker Production, generating 7998 kgCO₂-Eq. for traditional housing and 5113 kgCO₂-Eq. for non-traditional housing, thus reaching a difference of 36%. Therefore, it was shown that the use of lower density materials is viable, which, due to their easy and fast application, allows a reduction of up to 10% in the project execution time and a saving of 10% in the total cost, in addition, evidence its potential to access sustainable construction in Ecuador.