Technique for quantification of embodied carbon footprint of construction projects using probabilistic emission factor estimators

2016 ◽  
Vol 119 ◽  
pp. 135-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiquan Yeo ◽  
Ruisheng Ng ◽  
Bin Song
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Emission Factor ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Embodied Carbon

scholarly journals Embodied Carbon as a Material Selection Criterion: Insights from Sri Lankan Construction Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2202
Author(s):  
Amalka Nawarathna ◽  
Muditha Siriwardana ◽  
Zaid Alwan
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Selection Criterion ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Rating Systems ◽  
Embodied Carbon ◽  
The Government

The choice of materials is crucial in responding to the increasing embodied carbon (EC) impacts of buildings. Building professionals involved in material selection for construction projects have a vital role to play in this regard. This paper aimed to explore the extent to which building professionals in Sri Lanka considered EC as a material selection criterion. A questionnaire survey was conducted among a sample of building professionals in Sri Lanka. The results indicated that the consideration of EC as a material selection criterion remained low among key professionals, such as architects, engineers, and sustainability managers, despite their reasonable influencing powers and knowledge of EC. Those respondents who had considered EC as a selection criterion said they had been primarily driven by green building rating systems and previous experience. Those respondents who had not considered EC during material selection commonly reported that they had been prevented from doing so by the lack of regulations and the lack of alternative low carbon materials. Respondents believed that the involvement of actors, such as the government, professional bodies, environmental organizations, activist groups, and the public, may be significant in promoting the greater consideration of EC during material selection.

scholarly journals Comparison of the Applied Measures on the Simulated Scenarios for the Sustainable Building Construction through Carbon Footprint Emissions—Case Study of Building Construction in Serbia

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4688
Author(s):  
Marina Nikolić Topalović ◽  
Milenko Stanković ◽  
Goran Ćirović ◽  
Dragan Pamučar
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Embodied Carbon ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Impact

Research was conducted to indicate the impact of the increased flow of thermal insulation materials on the environment due to the implementation of the new regulations on energy efficiency of buildings. The regulations on energy efficiency of buildings in Serbia came into force on 30 September 2012 for all new buildings as well as for buildings in the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction. For that purpose, the carbon footprint was analyzed in three scenarios (BS, S1 and S2) for which the quantities of construction materials and processes were calculated. The life cycle analysis (LCA), which is the basis for analyzing the carbon life cycle (LCACO2), was used in this study. Carbon Calculator was used for measuring carbon footprint, and URSA program to calculate the operational energy. This study was done in two phases. In Phase 1, the embodied carbon was measured to evaluate short-term effects of the implementation of the new regulations. Phase 2 included the first 10 years of building exploitation to evaluate the long-term effects of the new regulations. The analysis was done for the period of 10 years, further adjustments to the regulations regarding energy efficiency of the buildings in Serbia are expected in accordance with EU directives. The study shows that, in the short-run, Scenario BS has the lowest embodied carbon. In the long-run, after 3.66 years, Scenario S2 becomes a better option regarding the impact on the environment. The study reveals the necessity to include embodied carbon together with the whole life carbon to estimation the impact of a building on the environment.

Research of Calculating Corrugated Board Carbon Footprint Based on Energy Conservation

2012 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 524-527
Author(s):  
He Nian ◽  
Xiao Min Wang ◽  
Xiao Juan Shi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Heat Balance ◽  
Production Line ◽  
Emission Factor ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Corrugated Board ◽  
Indirect Emission ◽  
The Heat Balance

Based on the energy conservation, calculate the carbon footprint of single wall corrugated boards. By calculating the heat balance of each unit in the corrugated board production line, the steam quantity of each unit was calculated and translated into direct carbon emissions; indirect carbon emission was calculated by the electric carbon emission factor. Evaluates to: producing quantitative 140/110/170(g/m2) single wall board for 100m2, the direct and indirect emission of CO2 is 25.4kg and 9.4kg.

scholarly journals Review of Supply Chain Based Embodied Carbon Estimating Method: A Case Study Based Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9171
Author(s):  
Muhandiramge Nimashi Navodana Rodrigo ◽  
Srinath Perera ◽  
Sepani Senaratne ◽  
Xiaohua Jin
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
First Principles ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Embodied Carbon ◽  
Zero Carbon ◽  
Cross Case Analysis

Carbon estimating plays a vital role in the construction industry. The current focus on introducing zero-carbon construction projects reduces operational carbon, at the expense of Embodied Carbon (EC). However, it is important to reduce overall net carbon emissions. There are various methods to estimate carbon, but the accuracy of these estimates is questionable. This paper reviews a novel methodology, the Supply Chain based Embodied carbon Estimating Method (SCEEM), which was introduced recently to accurately estimate EC in construction supply chains. SCEEM is compared against existing EC estimating methods (Blackbook and eToolLCD) using a case study approach. It is also supplemented with a comprehensive literature review of existing EC methods. The EC values calculated using Blackbook and eToolLCD were mostly higher than SCEEM. Since SCEEM uses actual site data and considers first principles-based value addition method to estimate EC, it is considered accurate. The cross-case analysis revealed that SCEEM provided consistent results. Hence, SCEEM is recommended to accurately estimate EC of any type of project.

scholarly journals Comparação ambiental entre sistema fotovoltaico convencional e semitransparente

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (53) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Gustavo Leite Gonçalves ◽  
Louise Pereira da Silva ◽  
Paula Rose de Araújo Santos ◽  
Monica Carvalho ◽  
Raphael Abrahao
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Emission Factor ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Photovoltaic Cells ◽  
Production Capacity ◽  
Photovoltaic System ◽  
Conventional System ◽  
Environmental Aspects

<p class="Normal1"><span class="fontstyle0">The Life Cycle Assessment is a methodology that studies the environmental aspects and the potential impacts associated with a product or service through the formulation of an inventory of resources. Among the various indicators that measure environmental impacts, the carbon footprint stands out for analyzing the greenhouse gas emissions derived from an activity, process or product. The objective of this work is to compare the carbon footprint of a conventional photovoltaic system and a semitransparentone, designed to meet an energy demand of 386 kWh/day. A higher carbon footprint was obtained for the conventional panel system, totaling 3623 kg CO</span><span class="fontstyle0">2</span><span class="fontstyle0">-eq/year, while the semitransparent system emitted 2726 kg CO</span><span class="fontstyle0">2</span><span class="fontstyle0">–eq/year. In both cases, photovoltaic cells and aluminum structures accounted for the greatest contribution to the carbon footprint, in addition to the significant contribution of solar glass. The emission factor was also calculated, associating the electric production capacity with the carbon footprint, obtaining 0.0257 kg CO</span><span class="fontstyle0">2</span><span class="fontstyle0">-eq/kWh for the conventional system and 0.0193 kg CO</span><span class="fontstyle0">2</span><span class="fontstyle0">-eq/kWh for the semitransparent system. From the carbon footprint viewpoint, the semitransparent system is the best option, with significantly lower emissions.</span></p>

scholarly journals A CASE STUDY OF THE INCREASE OF CARBON DIOXIDE DUE TO THE APPLICATION OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY REGULATIONS IN SERBIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Nikolić Topalović ◽  
Milenko Stanković
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Thermal Insulation ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Energy Class ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Reference Object ◽  
Insulation Materials ◽  
Embodied Carbon

In order to demonstrate the environmental impact of the increased flow of thermal insulation materials and facade joinery with improved thermal characteristics, the analysis of the carbon footprint for two scenarios for the needs of the research was done as a consequence of the new regulations on the energy efficiency of the facilities. For each of the analyzed scenarios, a project and an overview of works on the basis of which quantities of construction materials, activities and processes that participate in the construction of the analyzed scenarios were calculated (S1 and S2), were made. The reference object (S1) is designed without thermal insulation layers, the energy class „G“, and the scenario (S2) is designed in the energy class „C“, which according to the new regulations is a condition for the construction of new facilities. The study uses the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), a methodology that is the basis for Carbon Lifecycle Analysis (LCACO2), or calculation of the carbon footprint of the facility. Construction carbon calculator, Environmental Protection Agency UK, is used to calculate the carbon footprint, and for the calculation of operational energy, the URSA Construction Physics 2 program. The study showed that the embodied carbon for the scenario (S1) is 138,40 tonnes CO2 e, with less impact on the environment. The higher values of the embodied carbon have a scenario (S2) of 148,20 tonnes CO2 e. The carbon imprint from the phase of construction, or less impact on the environment, has a scenario (S1). However, after ten years of using the facility, the scenario (S1) due to the larger carbon footprint from the operational phase becomes a scenario with a higher environmental impact, with a total carbon footprint of 186,16 tonnes CO2 e, and the scenario (S2) after ten years of use of the facility has a total carbon footprint of 163,86 tonnes CO2 e. The scenario (S1) and (S2) achieve the same values of the total carbon footprint after 3,05 years of use of the facility and (S2) has since then become a better choice from the aspect of the environment. The research has shown that the embodied carbon is neglected in the calculation of the environmental impact of the facility, as well as the average when the benefits can be expected from the application of measures for energy-efficient buildings. The research also points to the need for low-carbon thermal insulation materials to bridge the gap between the demand for the extinguishing of buildings on the one hand and the efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change.

Embodied Carbon of Buildings: Tools, Methods and Strategies

2014 ◽  
Vol 567 ◽  
pp. 565-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Ahmad Farhan ◽  
Nasir Shafiq ◽  
Khairun Azizi Azizli ◽  
Usman Aminu Umar ◽  
Syed Shujaa Safdar Gardezi
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Research Direction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Future Research Direction ◽  
Current State ◽  
Embodied Carbon

Embodied carbon can be defined as the “CO2emissions produced during the extraction of resources, transportation, manufacture, assembly, disassembly and end-of-life disposal of a product”. Calculation of the carbon footprint of buildings is important to promote the construction of low-carbon buildings that release significantly less CO2compared to conventional buildings. However, researchers and practitioners in this area tend to disregard the embodied carbon and pay more attention to the operational carbon when calculating the carbon footprint of buildings. This paper reviews the current state and trend of research on the embodied carbon of buildings with focus on the tools, methods and strategies employed and makes recommendations for future research direction.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document