Resource Recovery from Construction and Demolition Waste: A Systematic Analysis Based on Bibliometrics

Resource recovery from construction and demolition waste is a critical pathway toward achieving sustainable development and a circular economy transition in the construction industry. To systematically elucidate the evolution of research, the knowledge structure, and emerging frontiers in this field over the past 25 years, this paper presents a bibliometric review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2025, indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. Through quantitative analyses of publication outputs, collaboration networks among countries, institutions, and authors, and keyword evolution, the study delineates the overall landscape of research on construction and demolition waste resource recovery. The key findings indicate that the field has undergone a paradigm shift from end-of-pipe disposal to circular management and high-value utilization. China, Australia, and Spain have emerged as major research forces, with China ranking first by a significant margin, contributing 1095 publications. Emerging keywords such as "circular economy," "life cycle assessment," "building information modeling," and "AI-assisted sorting" have surged over the past five years, representing future research frontiers. Qualitative analysis reveals that, as an engineering issue, resource recovery from construction and demolition waste exhibits distinct managerial attributes. The technical pathways can be categorized into engineering treatment technologies and facilitating management technologies. Compared with the former, facilitating management technologies contribute more significantly to enhancing resource recovery efficiency. In particular, cutting-edge techniques such as machine learning and AI-assisted sorting can substantially reduce management costs while increasing product value. Furthermore, current research still faces critical bottlenecks, including high heterogeneity in waste streams, a lack of unified standards, and insufficient industrial-scale adoption. This paper provides researchers and policymakers with a macro-level knowledge map spanning 25 years, serving as a reference baseline and directional guide for future in-depth investigations into specific technologies or management systems.