Revisions are needed on the paper I submitted for school. I have uploaded a file titled default.pdf which explains. Any section that scored less than a 3 needs to be revised. Please read teachers comments. Aspects B3, B5, C2 - C2f, D1 and D2 require addre

Abstract

It is universally acknowledged that, the pace in which materials are consumed in the increasing world population tend to result in the scarcity of materials. Additionally, the employment of this materials in products are believed to affect the environment negatively. Moreover, once a product that was once useful reaches the end of its product cycle, it can also develop in tom something that has a negative implication on the environment. In Oman, the construction industry is responsible for approximately 45% of the total materials that are discarded as waste. Therefore, when it comes to recycling of materials, this sector should also be taken into consideration. The primary goal of this research is to explore the usage of waste materials that accrue from the construction of concrete tiles by promoting the recycling of this materials and how best to demolish this waste. Furthermore, in this research work, the current state of the Usage of waste from construction of concrete tiles in Oman will be assessed. Besides, the information obtained from this research work will be employed in providing an insight on how best recycling of the highest quality can be increased. Apparently, this research work demonstrates that, the construction sector are better placed in improving on the usage of materials from construction of tiles. However, it is clear from this study that, a few limitations and challenges that prevent this industry from realizing high quality recycling.

The objectives and the scope of this research were established through the collaboration of the concrete tiles construction industry and the supervisors. The formulation of the research questions in this research were based on some of the challenges that are faced by the construction industry in Oman when it comes to the usage of materials form construction of concrete tiles. Following the nature of the research questions, the best research design was identified where the data was collected and analyzed, discussed and some recommendations were made following the results and findings

Background information

The consumption of construction materials is acknowledged as not sustainable. In other words, in order to reduce the effect of this materials on the environment and on the employment of the materials by the future generations, then the construction industry needs to undergo some changes. Additionally, immediately a product ends its life cycle, they always end up as waste. For instance, of all the waste materials that were produced in the Middle East in the year 2015, 34% originated from the Construction and development sector. As far as Oman is concerned, this rate was much higher as compared to the previous year’s**.Traditionally, the construction industry has always been believed to be an environmental hazard owing to the fact that most contractors do not consider environmental sustainability because they are only rewarded by how fast they can complete contracts.

In the course of waste management, the construction and development industry gives priorities to methods and approaches such as recycling, reduction and disposal. In this case, before disposal, it is the wish of the managers that other methods such as sorting, reusing recycling and reduction techniques should be used first. In other words, this methods are believed to be significant for future development and improvement of urban centers as well as environmental sustainability. Oman boasts of a total population of approximately 3.9 million citizens and its solid waste generation is 1.7 million tons per year with an average per capita solid waste of approximately 1.2kg.Additionally, the issue of waste management has become a challenge to Oman as a country because of the scarcity of resources and land as well as the health and environmental implications of the solid waste resulting from the construction of concrete tiles. In Oman, the waste materials produced have the potential to be recycled. However, this country has not yet reached its full waste material recycling potential owing to the fact that most of the materials from the construction of concrete tiles are dumped in unauthorized and authorized landfills. In this case, Oman boasts of three-hundred and fifty landfills that are governed and operated by the municipality and other dumpsites that are used illegally. One of the most common dumpsite in Oman is Almerat Landfill. The construction project in Oman represents almost 30 % of the waste materials that are dumped in Oman landfills and this rate is expected to increase tremendously because of the upcoming construction of concrete tiles project. However, what most Oman citizens are failing to understand is the fact that, this waste materials obtained from the construction of concrete tiles may be put into proper use instead of dumping them. In other words, where the construction industry is able to recycle its waste, it is believed to be one of the most successful sustainable strategy. In this case, the government of Oman has tried to develop the necessary strategies to enable it to make proper usage of this materials instead of wasting them.

Although there is some form of recycling of materials obtained from the construction industry in Oman, the manner in which the material from construction of concrete tiles is used is yet to be known. It is universally accepted that, high quality recycling of solid waste plays a very crucial role in establishing a more sustainable construction industry. In this research, high quality recycling basically refers to the usage of materials from the construction of concrete tiles in a more resourceful way. Therefore, to support this idea, this research work aims at increasing awareness and knowledge on the current status of the usage of materials from concrete tiles construction and potential improvements so as to increase the chances of a sustainable environment in Oman. Existing research works on waste management have reported waste management situations in broader categories globally and in Oman as well. However, none of this studies have discussed the usage of waste materials from concrete tiles construction in Oman in detail because of them give limited information revolving around landfill, recycling, energy recovery, recycling and others. Therefore, this research offers a deeper analysis on how best to employ materials from the construction of concrete tiles in Oman. Besides, other studies do not include the views of stakeholders in their analysis but this research work will take into consideration the opinions and viewpoints of Construction industry stakeholders regarding the factors that prevent the proper usage of this materials in Oman.

Research Aim

The aim of this dissertation is to explore, examine and analyses how best the materials from the construction of concrete waste can be used.

Research Objectives

· To identify influential barriers when it comes to usage of materials waste from construction of concrete tiles

· Theo analyze the level and extent of knowledge on recycling of concrete tiles construction wastes

· To investigate the causes and the sources of materials waste in construction sites so as to offer a compendium on waste materials arising from the construction of concrete tiles in Oman construction industry

· To establish a framework that is capable of minimizing wastage of materials from construction of concrete tiles

· To analyze professional views on the usage of materials from the construction of concrete tiles and some waste reduction minimization measures and how far it is practiced in Oman

Research Questions

· What are the primary causes and sources of the wastage of materials from the construction of concrete tiles

· What are potential hindrances and challenges that prevent the proper usage of materials from concrete tiles in Oman construction and development industry?

· What are the opinions and views of Oman professionals on waste minimization

Methodology

The study employed a mixed research design that used interviews and questionnaires. Questionnaires were used because they are easy to administer whereas interviews were employed in this research because they increase the chances of the researcher to prove clarification and validity of data. The methodology of this research was analyzed and assed based on each research objective. In this case, the objective that revolved around the identification of the causes and sources of waste materials from construction of concrete tiles was realized through the surveys conducted using questionnaires. Additionally, two analysis methods namely; mean score ranking and the sample t-test were employed in the analysis of data and information collected from this research work. Moreover the compendium on wastage and usage of primary construction materials as well as recommended ways on how best to minimize this wastage were amassed by field observations arrived upon through site visits. Moreover, to realize the objective regarding the basement of the views and opinions of the respondents on contribution levels of some measures used in waste minimization and how such measures are practiced in Oman, a questionnaire with structured questions was administered to the respondents. Apparently, data that was obtained from the survey were analyzed through the employment of co-efficient of variation criteria and weighted average.

Furthermore, the objective involving the assessment of the level and extent of knowledge on the usage of materials from construction of concrete waste among the construction practitioners in Oman was achieved through administering of a structured questionnaire survey. In other words, this research survey was conducted in order to assess the perceptions and views of the research respondents on the philosophy of usage of these materials, establish the extent of knowledge about the employment of these materials in Oman construction industry as well as identifying the necessary steps that can be used to bridge the existing gaps as far as the knowledge of these materials are concerned. The data obtained from the structured questions of this objective were ranked based on their means scores. A structured questionnaire was also administered to the respondents in order to identify some potential hindrances and barriers to the usage of materials from the construction of concrete tiles in Oman. In simple terms, this barriers or factors preventing the employment of these materials were prioritized based on their mean scores. The identified barriers were also grouped and analyzed using the SPSS version 16 package.

Scope and limitations

This research work revolved around the usage of materials from construction of concrete tiles with the assumption that this materials are already known to the user during the construction stage. Additionally, the construction stage according to this research work particularly referred to the construction or building of the superstructures, sub-structures and architectural elements of concrete tiles. Research surveys that were conducted during this stage enabled on-site observations which is very significant in the collection of data simultaneously. The methods of construction that was focused on at this stage was the BS and ACI methods. The materials that were taken into consideration in this study included; vermiculite, perlite, aggregates, woods, gypsum board, metals, and expanded shales and clays. Moreover, this research work concentrated on the flow of this materials in terms of their handling and storage. In this case, the questionnaire surveys and interviews were administered to the proponents undertaking the referenced projects. By proponents according to this research, it basically means the site managerial staff dealing with the construction of concrete tiles such as the quantity surveyors, architects, and project managers.

This research work concentrated on the usage of materials from construction of concrete tiles in the construction and development industry in Oman because of the site accessibility as well as the availability of contacts. Some of the limiting factors of this study revolved around the fact that, it should have researched all categories of construction and development industry in Oman but owing to the fact that there was lack of reliable information and data on small-scale construction industries, this study only focused on large-scale industries in Oman. Additionally, Structural engineering industries were not included in this research because there was a challenge in obtaining precise data as far as this industries are concerned in Oman.

Thesis outline

This research work was divided into five chapters. Introduced the research by explaining background information leading to the problem of the statement, research methodology, research aim, objectives the scope and the limitations of this research. The second chapter of this research work revolved around the literature review on the usage of materials from construction of concrete tiles in Oman, waste in Oman construction industry benefits of reusing the construction materials and the potential barriers to effective usage of waste materials .However, although this part is not included in this report. The third chapter revolved around the methodology of this research. The questionnaire structure and how the sample size was determined are explained and in the process, the methods and techniques employed in data analysis are also explained. Chapter four of this research presents the analysis and synthesis of research findings and results. The last chapter concludes the overall research and in so doing, it suggests recommendations necessary for future research.

Chapter 3: Methodology