Carbon footprint evaluation of local dwellings in Bangladesh towards low carbon society

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rezuana Islam ◽  
Sajal Chowdhury ◽  
Nusrat Jannat ◽  
Pranjib Paul
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Hybrid Methods ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Techniques

PurposeLocal dwellings of Bangladesh have specific environmental characteristics. These dwellings extensively use locally available materials and construction techniques. Therefore, carbon footprint (CF), as a prominent environmental parameter, is greatly affected by construction materials and techniques. Nonetheless, scientific justification is limited to evaluate CF of these dwellings in Bangladesh according to different local construction materials. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate different rural dwellings’ CF for both construction and operational phases toward the development of low carbon society in Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approachFor evaluating CF, literature review and field studies were conducted to specify and categorize cases. An intensive field monitoring and occupant's survey were performed during summer. A widely recognized compliant database and assessment tool “Ecoinvent v3” was used based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040 and 14044. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to evaluate constructional and operational stages of carbon emission using hybrid methods formed by process-based and economic input–output life cycle analysis (EIO-LCA) approaches.FindingsThe study indicates that different building materials significantly impact on dwelling's amount of carbon emission according to construction techniques. Brick dwelling's construction stage carbon emission was nearly 3.86 times higher than timber, whereas, 6.75 times higher than mud dwelling. In terms of operational stage, local brick dwelling emits higher carbon compared to others relating to occupants’ lifestyle and activities.Originality/valueThis study will contribute to helping professionals and policy-makers to interpret and evaluate architectural design and construction processes for improving low-carbon dwellings in Bangladesh.

scholarly journals Influence of Biopolymers on the Mechanical Behavior of Earth-Based Building Materials

2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (03) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Julia Tourtelot ◽  
◽  
Ann Bourgès ◽  
Emmanuel Keita ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Wheat Starch ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Food Industries ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Construction Techniques ◽  
Paris Region ◽  
Raw Earth

Currently, the largest among the earth excavation sites in Europe are located in the Paris region. The soils excavated from these sites are often considered waste and are not valorized. With an increasing focus on sustainable development, the demand for low-carbon building materials is rising. Although construction using raw earth is a vernacular technique, the diversity in the behavior of the raw earth building materials warrants better control of their mechanical properties. The construction techniques differ depending on the location of the site, the composition of the earth, and the stabilizers used. Plant-based fibers and compounds extracted from plants are commonly used for reinforcing raw earth. Since such byproduct solutions have been developed worldwide, they differ significantly, and it becomes difficult to set a benchmark. The majority of the reported studies have directly used organic waste, rendering it difficult to characterize the material and extend the obtained results to other contexts. In order to reduce these variabilities, it becomes important to study the reinforcement of earth-based building materials with biopolymers that constitute the active molecules of the bio-based solutions. In the present study, different biopolymers derived from various vernacular techniques were utilized to increase the compressive strength of the construction soil collected from the Paris region. It was revealed that cellulose fibers and wheat starch increased the compressive strength of the earth from 3.5 MPa to 5.5 MPa and 4.5 MPa, respectively. In addition, the interactions of these biopolymers with clay were analyzed. The biopolymers identified as suitable for use in construction materials in the present study are widely available as wastes from paper, agricultural, or agro-food industries. These identified biopolymers would contribute to the development and standardization of construction using earth-based building materials.

scholarly journals Assessing the long term effects on climate change of metallurgical slags valorization as construction material: a comparison between static and dynamic global warming impacts

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-111
Author(s):  
Andrea Di Maria ◽  
◽  
Annie Levasseur ◽  
Karel Van Acker ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Steel Slag ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Stainless Steel Slag ◽  
Environmental Evaluation

<abstract> <p>The interest in circular economy for the construction sector is constantly increasing, and Global Warming Potential (GWP) is often used to assess the carbon footprint of buildings and building materials. However, GWP presents some methodological challenges when assessing the environmental impacts of construction materials. Due to the long life of construction materials, GWP calculation should take into consideration also time-related aspects. However, in the current GWP, any temporal information is lost, making traditional static GWP better suited for retrospective assessment rather than forecasting purposes. Building on this need, this study uses a time-dependent GWP to assess the carbon footprint of two newly developed construction materials, produced through the recycling of industrial residues (stainless steel slag and industrial goethite). The results for both materials are further compared with the results of traditional ordinary Portland cement (OPC) based concrete, presenting similar characteristics. The results of the dynamic GWP (D_GWP) are also compared to the results of traditional static GWP (S_GWP), to see how the methodological development of D_GWP may influence the final environmental evaluation for construction materials. The results show the criticality of the recycling processes, especially in the case of goethite valorization. The analysis shows also that, although the D_GWP did not result in a shift in the ranking between the three materials compared with S_GWP, it provides a clearer picture of emission flows and their effect on climate change over time.</p> </abstract>

The New Rural Residential Building Materials of Low Carbon Mode of Thinking

2012 ◽  
Vol 443-444 ◽  
pp. 110-114
Author(s):  
Yuan Luo
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Actual Situation ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
New Model ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
Current Transition

In the current transition conditions, living in rural areas how to form a new model to address the issue of live and living is very necessary. Mountainous rural areas and more for less, construction methods and how to inject carbon idea behind such issues as the actual situation in rural areas of the construction line tools and real estate construction materials, forming a certain significance of the ideas and methods.

An Analysis of Carbon Footprint of Beijing Based on Input-Output Model

2013 ◽  
Vol 807-809 ◽  
pp. 1052-1058
Author(s):  
Zhe Wang ◽  
Yu Li ◽  
Ze Hong Li ◽  
Liang Yuan ◽  
Ji Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Input Output ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Leontief Matrix ◽  
Annual Carbon

Climate change caused by increasing carbon emission is harmful to global environment and human society. Developing low-carbon economy through reasonable industries planning and effective utilization of resources is a significant path to achieve the aim of energy saving and carbon emission reduction. The word carbon footprint means carbon emission caused by a certain industry, activity, product or individual, and the issue of carbon emission should be linked with economic activity to analyze, while input-output model is a reliable method to contact two factors. Based on input-output model, this paper calculated direct or indirect carbon emission which is demanded for the products of final consumption in Beijing, and analyzed carbon footprint of each industrial sector in 2005, 2007 and 2010 by operating Leontief matrix. The result demonstrates annual carbon emission of Beijing increased from 10482.68×104ton to 17407.28×104ton during 2000-2011. Manufacturing industry, excavating industry, transportation and postal industry exert supreme impact on carbon emission in Beijing. Carbon footprint of transportation and postal industry and other tertiary industries such as information, business, service, education, science researching industries in 2010 had an obvious rise compare with the data of 2005 and 2007.

scholarly journals Sustainable Reuse of Military Facilities with a Carbon Inventory: Kinmen, Taiwan

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1810
Author(s):  
Hua-Yueh Liu
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Cell System ◽  
Military Government ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Military Facilities ◽  
Construction Operation

Military government was lifted from Kinmen in 1992. The opening-up of cross-strait relations transformed the island into a tourist destination. This transformation led to electricity and water shortages in Kinmen. With the reduction in the number of troops, military facilities fell into disuse and are now being released for local government use. The aim of this project was to monitor the carbon footprint of a reused military facility during renovation of the facility. The LCBA-Neuma system, a local carbon survey software developed by the Low Carbon Building Alliance (LCBA) and National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, was used in this project. The system analyzes the carbon footprint of the various phases of the building life cycle (LC) during renovation and carbon compensation strategies were employed to achieve the low carbon target. This project has pioneered the transformation of a disused military facility using this approach. The carbon footprint of energy uses during post-construction operation (CFeu) accounted for the majority of carbon emissions among all stages, at 1,088,632.19 kgCO2e/60y, while the carbon footprint of the new building materials (CFm) was the second highest, at 214,983.66 kgCO2e/60y. Installation of a solar cell system of 25.2 kWp on the rooftop as a carbon offset measure compensated for an estimated 66.1% of the total life-cycle carbon emissions. The findings of this study show that the process of reusing old military facilities can achieve the ultimate goal of zero carbon construction and sustainable development.

Experimental study of signal behavior for wireless communication in construction

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zia Ud Din ◽  
Leonhard E. Bernold
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Signal Propagation ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Construction ◽  
Building Components ◽  
Electromagnetic Signals ◽  
Set Up

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of building components of a growing concrete structure and different building materials such as glass and steel on Wi-Fi signals propagation in a construction site. Wireless local area networks are considered effective tools to link the islands-of-communication in construction. Still, designing a Wi-Fi network that can grow with a new construction requires that one understands the performance of propagation of electromagnetic signals transmitted at 2.4 GHz. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews the theoretical behavior of electromagnetic signals when signal attenuation is caused by various construction materials changing their strengths, directions and possibly leading to total absorption. The authors used a typical building layout to conduct experimental work to measure the effect of common building features and communication technologies on signal strengths. Findings The measured data not only confirmed the theory-based predictions but also demonstrated the complexity of predicting signal propagation when obstructions inhibit the line-of-sight “travel” of electromagnetic signals. Originality/value Different to other papers, the experiments were conducted outside a concrete building mimicking the situation where the transmitter is set up at the site office.

scholarly journals Geo-Environmental investigation of Sahure pyramid complex, Abusir Archeological site, Giza, Egypt

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelrhman Muhamed Fahmy Sayed Ahmed ◽  
Fatma Muhamed Helmy
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Western Side ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Archeological Site ◽  
Engineering Stability

Abstract Abusir is the name of an elaborate burial area, dotted with 19 pyramids other temples, stretching on the western side of the Nile from the south of the Giza Plateau to the northern rim of Saqqara. It seems to have been created as the resting site for the Pharaos dated from 2494 to 2345 BC. The name Abusir, originally spoken as Busiri, means” temple of Osiris”. Over time, the name has become so popular, that more than 60 villages now carry this name. But only one is the archaeological site. This paper does not refer to all of the Abusir archaeological area, but focuses one of its most important sites: Sahure pyramid, one of Egypt’s little known, but heavily damaged treasure. One of the highlights of the relevant research is the discovery of a piece of cement (Basaltic mortar/concrete), which consists of several materials and which is harder than any cement produced today and detection of a clear and significant Anorthite mineral (Plagioclase) in the mortar sample which had been proven by XRD, XRF (analysis) and Polarized light microscope (investigation). The main objectives of this paper are 1) to reveal and identify the construction materials of the pyramid and the construction of the pyramid,2) to evaluate the durability and vulnerability of the Ancient construction materials of Sahure pyramid,3) to compare the decayed patterns of the different construction materials, 4) to study the pyramid building materials from geological, meteorological, geochemical, petrological and petrophysical point of view, and 5) to present a proposal for scientific conservation and protection of the pyramid. Laboratories and field studies have been carried out by researchers from various countries to investigate and understand the problems of the pyramid leading to the final results which confirmed the impact of the geo environment conditions on the structural and engineering stability of the pyramid.

Promoting a Lower Carbon Footprint using an Enhanced Pedestrian-Friendly Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (13) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Rohana Sham ◽  
Razifah Othman ◽  
Ho Hui Yee ◽  
Tan Yi Han
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
International Publishing ◽  
Pedestrian System ◽  
Open Access Article ◽  
Lower Carbon

Walking has significantly contributed to a lower carbon emission of a country. With the aspiration of a lesser carbon footprint zone, the initiatives of understanding the current pedestrian system are crucial. Although walking improves green mobility, it is still known as the least preferred mode. Thus, this study aims to improve pedestrian walkways and promote a higher level of usage of pedestrian walkways by analyzing the critical factors contributing to the lower carbon footprint among the urban dwellers. The results will help to improve a lower carbon footprint practice in the metropolitan area.Keywords: Pedestrian,Friendly,Low Carbon,SatisfactioneISSN: 2398-4287 © 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v5i13.1982

Building a more Resilient and Low-Carbon Caribbean - Report 1: Climate Resiliency and Building Materials in the Caribbean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jed Bailey ◽  
Paola Carvajal ◽  
Javier García Fernández ◽  
Christiaan Gischler ◽  
Carlos Henriquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Caribbean Islands ◽  
Standards Of Living ◽  
The Caribbean

The Caribbean islands are among the 25 most-vulnerable nations in terms of disasters per-capita or land area, and climate change is only expected to intensify these vulnerabilities. The loss caused by climate events drags the ability of the Caribbean countries to invest in infrastructure and social programs, contributing to slower productivity growth, poorer health outcomes, and lower standards of living. Within this context, building resiliency should become a priority for the Caribbean countries. The series “Building a more resilient and low-carbon Caribbean”, focuses on improving the resiliency, sustainability and decarbonization of the construction industry in the Caribbean. The results show that increasing building resiliency is economically viable for the high-risk islands of the Caribbean, generating long term savings and increasing the infrastructure preparedness to the impacts of CC. Report 1 - Climate Resiliency and Building Materials in the Caribbean, presents a quantification of the economic losses caused by climate impact events in the Caribbean Region and correlate these figures with the most common construction materials, typically used in each of the countries building typologies. The losses caused by hurricanes concentrate mostly in the residential infrastructure and are mainly caused by weaknesses in roofs and their connection to the walls. The analysis suggests that improving the resiliency of outer walls and roofs in the Caribbean could significantly reduce the regions vulnerability to hurricanes and other climate impacts.

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