The properties of ceramic construction materials used in industrial facilities are constantly changing during the second Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) phase which relates to the accumulation of harmful substances. These materials are scrapped during subsequent maintenance, upgrade or demolition of the facility and their harmful properties may impact entire ecosystems. This means that the final phase of the LCA in such facilities involves waste products that are difficult to reuse or neutralise due to the polluting effect of the harmful substances they contain. This problem with the final phase of an LCA is highlighted by the example of an industrial chimney in Poland with a height of 160 m. During modernisation, after 30 years of service, the chimney was updated by processes that include the exchange of the thermal insulation of mineral wool and the ceramic liner (made of ordinary bricks bound with cement mortar), which were replaced with foam glass and a liner with acid-resistant bricks layed with silicate putty, respectively.
