Life Cycle Assessment of a Typical Marble Processing Plant in Central Greece Under Alternative Waste Management Strategies

The conversion of rough marble blocks into building products is environmentally intensive in terms of energy and water consumption and the generation of solid fragments and marble sludge (MS). This LCA study evaluates the environmental impact of two marble processing plants (for sawing and cutting) with respect to alternative scenarios of MS management including its (a) land disposal (baseline scenario—BS), (b) land disposal after filter pressing (current scenario—CS) and (c) partial valorization in cement mortars associated with the application of solar energy (eco-friendly scenario—ES). In this context, a “gate-to-gate” methodology is applied, while three main steps are considered: the sawing and cutting of marble blocks (main process) and the MS disposal and reuse. The LCA results indicate that terrestrial acidification (TAP), freshwater eutrophication (FEP), climate change and ozone depletion decreased by 10.8 to 37.1% by the adaptation of the BS and by 18 to 38.2% by the adaptation of the ES. At the same time, cumulative energy demand increases by 25.3% and 28.9%, respectively. The contribution analysis showed that the main process has the dominant effect on the examined categories. The contribution of the disposal step on TAP and FEP decreased by 61.6% and 47.9% via the application of the valorization technique.