scholarly journals Towards Rural Revitalization Strategy for Housing in Gully Regions of the Loess Plateau: Environmental Considerations

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 3109
Author(s):  
Tao Zhang ◽  
Qi Ding ◽  
Qinian Hu ◽  
Bin Liu ◽  
Weijun Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Ecological Design ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Rural Revitalization ◽  
Whole Life Cycle

Under the background of Chinese Rural Revitalization Strategy, how to improve rural regional environment and living quality is very important and urgent. At present, residential buildings in gully regions of the Loess Plateau have poor insulation and high-energy consumption. Thus, better ecological design can largely save energy and improve living comfort. The findings of this paper provide an insight into the ecological design potentials for reducing energy demand across rural regions in China. In this paper, we select three main types of residential buildings in gully regions and build energy demand models based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. The results show that the energy demand in the building use stage is extremely high in all three typical buildings, which account for around 90% of the whole life cycle. The energy demand of the traditional adobe residential building is lower than the brick-concrete structure buildings. The LCA method used in this paper can quantify the energy demand in each stage of life cycle, which helps to put forward the corresponding ecological design strategy. The research results can be used as a reference in the future development of this region and other rural regions in China.

scholarly journals LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF TECHNICAL BUILDING SERVICES OF LARGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING STOCKS USING SEMANTIC 3D CITY MODELS

2020 ◽  
Vol VI-4/W1-2020 ◽  
pp. 85-92
Author(s):  
H. Harter ◽  
B. Willenborg ◽  
W. Lang ◽  
T. H. Kolbe
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
3D City Models ◽  
Methodical Approach ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
City Models

Abstract. Reducing the demand for non-renewable resources and the resulting environmental impact is an objective of sustainable development, to which buildings contribute significantly. In order to realize the goal of reaching a climate-neutral building stock, it must first be analyzed and evaluated in order to develop optimization strategies. The life cycle based consideration and assessment of buildings plays a key role in this process. Approaches and tools already exist for this purpose, but they mainly take the operational energy demand of buildings and not a life cycle based approach into account, especially when assessing technical building services (TBS). Therefore, this paper presents and applies a methodical approach for the life cycle based assessment of the TBS of large residential building stocks, based on semantic 3D city models (CityGML). The methodical approach developed for this purpose describes the procedure for calculating the operational energy demand (already validated) and the heating load of the building, the dimensioning of the TBS components and the calculation of the life cycle assessment. The application of the methodology is illustrated in a case study with over 115,000 residential buildings from Munich, Germany. The study shows that the methodology calculates reliable results and that a significant reduction of the life cycle based energy demand can be achieved by refurbishment measures/scenarios. Nevertheless, the goal of achieving a climate-neutral building stock is a challenge from a life cycle perspective.

scholarly journals Environmental impact of high-value gold scrap recycling

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1930-1941
Author(s):  
Benjamin Fritz ◽  
Carin Aichele ◽  
Mario Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Cumulative Energy ◽  
Cumulative Energy Demand ◽  
Metal Recycling ◽  
Scrap Recycling

Abstract Purpose The gold routes satisfying the global gold supply are mining (74%), recycling of high-value gold (23%), and electronic scraps (3%). Besides its applications in the investment, jewelry, and industrial sector, gold also has a bad image. The gold production in industrial as well as artisanal and small-scale mines creates negative impacts such as resource depletion, extensive chemical use, toxic emissions, high energy consumption, and social concerns that are of great importance. On the other hand, almost all gold is recycled and has historically always been. In common life cycle assessment (LCA) databases, there is no data on recycling of high-value gold available. This article attempts to answer the question what the ecological benefits of this recycling are. Method In this study, we were able to collect process data on the most commonly used high-value gold scrap recycling process, the aqua regia method, from several state-of-the-art German refineries. With this data, life cycle inventories were created and a life cycle model was produced to finally generate life cycle impacts of high-value gold scrap recycling. Results This study contains the corresponding inventories and thus enables other interested parties to use these processes for their own LCA studies. The results show that high-value gold scrap recycling has a considerably lower environmental impact than electronic gold scrap recycling and mining. For example, high-value gold scrap recycling in Germany results in a cumulative energy demand (CED) of 820 MJ and a global warming potential (GWP) of 53 kg-CO2-Eq. per kg gold. In comparison, common datasets indicate CED and GWP levels of nearly 8 GJ and 1 t-CO2-Eq. per kg gold, respectively, for electronic scrap recycling and levels of 240 GJ and 16 t-CO2-Eq. per kg gold, respectively, for mining. Conclusion The results show that buying gold from precious metal recycling facilities with high technological standards and a reliable origin of the recycling material is about 300 times better than primary production.

scholarly journals Research on the evaluation system of green highway in the whole life cycle of South China Mountain Area

2020 ◽  
Vol 165 ◽  
pp. 04062
Author(s):  
Shengjun YU ◽  
Jiang Li ◽  
Chenhui Feng
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Highway Construction ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Mountain Area ◽  
Whole Life Cycle

The urgency of the global environmental impact has made mankind pay more and more attention to the issue of sustainable development in all fields. The field of highway construction is no exception. Traditional highway construction has the characteristics of high investment, high energy consumption, wide pollution and strong destruction, and serious environmental impact, which is not conducive to the long-term development of society and the country. From the point of view of life cycle, combined with Current Events and Policies, green concept, Four-New Technology and consulting experience in highway construction of many years, this paper puts forward a three-stage green highway construction system of green design, green construction and green road maintenance. to promote the healthy, sustainable and green development of highway industry.

scholarly journals Reduction of air pollution as a basis for a healthy urban environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 01042
Author(s):  
Anna Lis
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Thermal Protection ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Energy Requirement ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Premature Deaths ◽  
The World ◽  
Environmental Causes

The WHO report shows that air in the majority of cities in the world is polluted to a large extent. Air pollution is one of the basic environmental causes of premature deaths in the world. The main source of air pollution in cities is the low emission associated with fuel combustion to generate heat for buildings heating, communication and industry. The existing buildings in Poland are characterized by high energy and, consequently, ecological potential. The aim is to estimate predicted energetic and ecological effects of activities that adapt existing residential buildings to the requirements for the thermal protection of buildings in Poland and presenting the possibility of using renewable energy sources. The energy demand for heating buildings at 60-70 kWh/(m2rok) has been adopted. The calculations show that as a result of this adjustment, the energy demand for heating in residential buildings may decrease by an average of around 67% compared to 2011. Such actions will reduce the overall emissions of air pollution from households by reducing the energy requirement for heating apartments from about 30% to about 67%, depending on the type of pollutant.

scholarly journals On the Retrofit of Existing Buildings with Aerogel Panels: Energy, Environmental and Economic issues

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1276
Author(s):  
Paola Marrone ◽  
Francesco Asdrubali ◽  
Daniela Venanzi ◽  
Federico Orsini ◽  
Luca Evangelisti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Tax Incentive ◽  
Lump Sum ◽  
Assessment Approach ◽  
Whole Life Cycle

Among the super insulating materials, aerogel has interesting properties: very low thermal conductivity and density, resistance to high temperatures and transparency. It is a rather expensive material, but incentives in the field can improve its economic attractiveness. Starting from this, the thermal behavior of a test building entirely insulated with aerogel panels was investigated through an extended experimental campaign. A dynamic simulation model of a case study building was generated to better comprehend the energy savings obtained through aerogel in terms of energy demand over a whole year. The investigation was completed by computing the carbon and energy payback times of various retrofit strategies through a life cycle assessment approach, as well as by a cost-benefit analysis through a probabilistic financial framework. Compared to conventional insulation materials, aerogel is characterized by a higher energy and carbon payback time, but it guarantees better environmental performance in the whole life cycle. From an economic-financial perspective, the aerogel retrofit is the best in the current tax incentive scenario. However, due to its higher lump-sum investment, aerogel’s net present value is very sensitive to tax deductions, and it is riskier than the best comparable materials in less favorable tax scenarios.

scholarly journals A Methodology for Energy Simulation of Risedential Buildings: A Case Study for Amman

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 772-781
Author(s):  
Ahmad Altarabsheh ◽  
Ibrahim Altarabsheh ◽  
Sara Altarabsheh ◽  
Nisreen Rababaa ◽  
Ayat Smadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Green Buildings ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Whole Life Cycle ◽  
Zero Energy Buildings

Green buildings have been gaining in popularity over the past few years in Jordan. This is attributed to environmental and financial reasons directly related to energy consumption and cost. Energy sector in Jordan faces two main challenges which are the fast growing of energy demand and the scarcity of resources to fulfill this demand. Green buildings can save energy by designing them as near Zero Energy Buildings, where they produce amount of energy almost equal the amount of energy they consume. In special cases green buildings can be designed as Net zero energy buildings, where they produce as much energy as they consume. Jordan government encourage people to adopt net zero green buildings by issuing the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Law No. 13 of 2012, that allows selling excessive electricity to electricity companies. Despite these benefits of green buildings, they are not yet the norm in the building sector in Jordan. This can be attributed to the high construction cost of green building compared to traditional one. However, this may not be true if the whole life cycle cost of the building is considered, in which the cost not only include design and construction but also operation and maintenance as well. This paper aims to provide real life cycle cost analysis for a typical residential building in Jordan, and to search different effective building strategies and design scenarios that will lead to a successful near Zero Energy Building. The search will apply main green building strategies recommended for Jordan climatic zone. The outcome of this study is a list of best economically feasible design solutions and system selections that result in near Zero Energy Building in Jordan for residential buildings.

scholarly journals Nearly Zero Energy Standard for Non-Residential Buildings with High Energy Demands—An Empirical Case Study Using the State Related Properties of Bavaria

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Keltsch ◽  
Werner Lang ◽  
Thomas Auer
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
The State ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Primary Energy Demand ◽  
New Buildings

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010 calls for the Nearly Zero Energy Standard for new buildings from 2021 onwards: Buildings using “almost no energy” are powered by renewable sources or energy produced by the building itself. For residential buildings, this ambitious new standard has already been reached. But for other building types this goal is still far away. The potential of these buildings to meet a Nearly Zero Energy Standard was investigated by analyzing ten case studies representing non-residential buildings with different uses. The analysis shows that the primary characteristics common to critical building types are a dense building context with a very high degree of technical installation (such as hospital, research and laboratory buildings). The large primary energy demand of these types of buildings cannot be compensated by building and property-related energy generation including off-site renewables. If the future Nearly Zero Energy Standard were to be defined with lower requirements because of this, the state related properties of Bavaria suggest that the real potential energy savings available in at least 85% of all new buildings would be insufficiently exploited. Therefore, it would be useful to instead individualize the legal energy verification process for new buildings to distinguish critical building types such as laboratories and hospitals.

scholarly journals A LIFE CYCLE ENERGY COMPARISON OF THREE WORLD EXPO BUILDINGS

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 151-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Shen ◽  
Brenda Vale ◽  
Robert Vale
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Energy Flows ◽  
World Expo ◽  
Whole Life Cycle

Over the last hundred years the booming exhibition industry has promoted development, which in turn has led to environmental damage. The construction of exhibition buildings has been part of this phenomenon. At first sight improvement in energy efficiency techniques would seem to offset the increased energy demand from both exhibitions and exhibition buildings. However, whether energy efficiency technologies truly help to improve building performance to the point where a building is ‘environmentally friendly’ throughout its whole life-cycle is uncertain. This research is part of investigating whether energy efficiency technologies are really the easiest means to lower costs and energy requirements when the whole useful life of an exhibition building is considered. This article investigates the energy use of three case study buildings based on their operating and embodied energy flows. The results suggest that modern technologies for making exhibition buildings more sustainable may not be as effective as the simpler strategies used over 100 years ago. This suggests a different approach may be needed for sustainable development in the twenty first century.

Life cycle costs and environmental impacts of a nearly zero-energy detached house

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-169
Author(s):  
Zs. Szalay ◽  
T. Csoknyai
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Detached House ◽  
Zero Energy Buildings

Abstract The recast of the Energy Performance Building Directive contains a new article about the need to increase the number of buildings which go beyond current national requirements, and to draw up national plans for increasing the number of nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB) with the final target that by 2020 all new buildings shall be nearly-zero energy. Nearly zero-energy buildings are buildings with a very high energy performance, where the remaining low energy demand can be supplied to a significant extent by renewable energy. In this paper, a detached house complying with the proposed Hungarian nZEB requirements is analysed. The life cycle cost and life cycle environmental impacts of the building are assessed for various building service systems to optimise the building design.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document