A Resilience and Environmentally Sustainable Assessment Framework (RESAF) for Domestic Building Materials in Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, the carbon footprint and energy use that results from using concrete in construction is a major negative contributor to the environmental effects of building materials. Likewise, the impact of annual cooling and heating energy demands has an equally prominent role to play. These demands need to be assessed and benchmarked in order that reduction targets can be set. Saudi Arabia presents its own unique context and local conditions, which creates a challenge when utilizing generic frameworks for assessing the environmental impact of domestic buildings. In meeting this aim, this paper presents a resilience and environmental sustainability assessment framework (RESAF) developed specifically for domestic buildings in Saudi Arabia. RESAF helps designers/builders to minimize the carbon footprint of the building fabric and reduce in-use energy demands of domestic buildings in Saudi Arabia. This paper shows how this framework can be used to reduce, by approximately 23%, the carbon impact from construction materials, primarily by substituting a portion of cement for pulverized fly ash (PFA) or ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). A reduction of 19% in annual cooling and heating energy demand were additionally achieved throughout the building’s life, simply by increasing insulation and using triple-glazed windows. The importance of passing these alternative solutions through the resilience filter is highlighted, not least questioning whether they are really fit-for-purpose.

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The Impact of Local Materials on the Improvement of the Thermal Comfort in Building

Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology ◽

10.9734/cjast/2020/v39i1530713 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 22-35

Author(s):

Amadou Oumarou Fati ◽

Bonkaney Abdou Latif ◽

Ouedraogo Souleymane ◽

S. M. Ky. Thierry ◽

Mamadou Lewamy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Building Materials ◽

Building Design ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Raw Material ◽

High Rise ◽

Energy Demands ◽

The Impact ◽

Local Materials

The increasing energy demands in the building sector is considered as a main issue and has result both in the energy shortage and also environmental impact such as climate change and global warming. This demand is always increasing due to the high-rise level and also the need of thermal comfort. This paper aims to describe a passive approach to reduce the energy demand for a building through an improvement of the design of the thermal envelope. Within this work, we utilized the thermophysical properties of four building materials: three local materials (compressed earth, lateritic, and raw material) and one modern (Hollow cement) and an energy analysis of the building has been carried out. The numerical optimization of the building design has been performed dynamically by COMSOL Multiphysics software: case study of Ouagadougou and surface is 100m2. Also, the temporal variations in the inside of the room as well as the temperature of the walls and the ceiling with four different materials have been determined. The result shows that, for BLT, the maximum obtained around 22H is 308K, for Adobe it is 309K around 18H30, for BTC it was 309.2K at 20H and finally for cement block it is 310K around 18H. The mean average temperature of the building is low when we use local materials instead of modern one. Then, we conclude that, the use of local materials in the building design is an option for reducing the heat transfer into the room and at the energy consumption.

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The Potential of Carbon Footprint Reduction of a Mid-Rise Residential Building in Sarawak

Built Environment Journal ◽

10.24191/bej.v18i1.12195 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Nurdiyanah Yaman ◽

Ahmad Faiz Abd Rashid

Keyword(s):

Carbon Footprint ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Building Materials ◽

Residential Building ◽

Cost Implication ◽

Sustainable Materials ◽

The Cost ◽

The Impact ◽

Carbon Footprint Reduction

Carbon emission is released into the atmosphere as the result of various activities due to rapid urbanisation and thus contributed to global warming and climate change. The government has taken various initiatives to reduce the impact, including from the construction industry in order to support the carbon footprint reduction of 40% as pledged by the Prime Minister. Various strategies, such as the Malaysian Carbon Reduction and Environmental Sustainability Tool (MyCREST), have been established to promote green building development in Malaysia. Recent studies suggested that the selection of sustainable materials can reduce the overall carbon emission of a building, but the cost has been identified as the main barriers. This paper aims to analyse the potential of carbon footprint reduction by using sustainable material in mid-rise residential building and subsequently to evaluate the cost implication. The impact of the conventional and the selected sustainable materials was assessed using data from the MyCREST tool while the data for cost analysis were taken from various sources of cost data such as JKR Rates online (RATOL), JKR Sarawak Schedule of Rates (SOR), and previous research. The results show that the sustainable materials such as 30% of Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) concrete mixture, Aerated Autoclaved Concrete (AAC) block, and recycled steel roof truss has the potential to reduce the carbon emission. The findings also show that sustainable materials are slightly cheaper than the conventional materials except for the AAC block and clay roof tiles. Therefore, the potential of carbon emission reduction approach by using MyCREST as a guideline tool can assist in the reduction of the environmental impact of buildings.Keywords: Carbon emission, sustainable building materials, cost implication.

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Environmental Accounting and its Impact on the Economy: An Applied Study on Industrial Establishments in Jeddah Governorate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: المحاسبة البيئية وتأثيرها على الاقتصاد: دراسة تطبيقية على المنشآت الصناعية في محافظة جدة في المملكة العربية السعودية

المجلة العربية للعلوم ونشر الأبحاث مجلة العلوم الاقتصادية والإدارية والقانونية ◽

10.26389/ajsrp.m250220 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Maha Abbas Abo Hussain

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Environmental Policies ◽

Cost Accounting ◽

Environmental Accounting ◽

Environmental Data ◽

Environmental Cost ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Industrial Enterprises ◽

The Impact

This study aimed to shed light on the impact of environmental accounting measured in (environmental cost accounting, environmental sustainability, and environmental policies) in industrial enterprises on the economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To achieve the objectives of the study, the study relied on the descriptive-analytical approach, due to its suitability of the nature of the study, as well as the questionnaire tool was distributed to the study sample using random sample method, where (200) questionnaires were distributed to financial managers working in industrial enterprises in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Jeddah, the final study sample was (96) questionnaires. The results of the study showed that there is an impact of environmental accounting measured by (environmental cost accounting, environmental sustainability, and environmental policies) in industrial companies on the economy, individually and collectively. The study came out with a set of recommendations, the most important of which is the necessity of developing local standards or adopting international standards for environmental disclosure in other sectors in general and the state’s contribution to providing quantifiable environmental data and raising the limitations imposed on companies in particular in order to follow and encourage environmental laws.

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Sustainable energy solutions for thermal load in buildings - Role of heat pumps, solar thermal, and hydrogen-based cogeneration systems

ASME Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Buildings and Cities ◽

10.1115/1.4051881 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-25

Author(s):

Praveen Cheekatamarla ◽

Vishaldeep Sharma ◽

Bo Shen

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Renewable Energy ◽

Carbon Footprint ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Heat Pumps ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Coefficient Of Performance ◽

Renewable Energy Resources ◽

The Impact

Abstract Economic and population growth is leading to increased energy demand across all sectors – buildings, transportation, and industry. Adoption of new energy consumers such as electric vehicles could further increase this growth. Sensible utilization of clean renewable energy resources is necessary to sustain this growth. Thermal needs in a building pose a significant challenge to the energy infrastructure. Supporting the current and future building thermal energy needs to offset the total electric demand while lowering the carbon footprint and enhancing the grid flexibility is presented in this study. Performance assessment of heat pumps, renewable energy, non-fossil fuel-based cogeneration systems, and their hybrid configurations was conducted. The impact of design configuration, coefficient of performance (COP), electric grid's primary energy efficiency on the key attributes of total carbon footprint, life cycle costs, operational energy savings, and site-specific primary energy efficiency are analyzed and discussed in detail.

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Impact of a Scalable, Multi-Campus “Foodprint” Seminar on College Students’ Dietary Intake and Dietary Carbon Footprint

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12092890 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 2890

Author(s):

Hannah Malan ◽

Ghislaine Amsler Challamel ◽

Dara Silverstein ◽

Charlie Hoffs ◽

Edward Spang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

Human Health ◽

Carbon Footprint ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Food Systems ◽

Comparison Group ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

The Impact

Background: Dietary patterns affect both human health and environmental sustainability. Prior research found a ten-unit course on food systems and environmental sustainability shifted dietary intake and reduced dietary carbon footprint among college students. This research evaluated the impact of a similar, more scalable one-unit Foodprint seminar taught at multiple universities. Methods: We used a quasi-experimental pre-post nonequivalent comparison group design (n = 176). As part of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, research was conducted at three university campuses in California over four academic terms. All campuses used the same curriculum, which incorporates academic readings, group discussions, and skills-based exercises to evaluate the environmental footprint of different foods. The comparison group comprised students taking unrelated one-unit courses at the same universities. A questionnaire was administered at the beginning and end of each term. Results: Students who took the Foodprint seminar significantly improved their reported vegetable intake by 4.7 weekly servings relative to the comparison group. They also reported significantly decreasing intake of ruminant meat and sugar-sweetened beverages. As a result of dietary shifts, Foodprint seminar students were estimated to have significantly decreased their dietary carbon footprint by 14%. Conclusions: A scalable, one-unit Foodprint seminar may simultaneously promote environmental sustainability and human health.

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Joint Analysis of Cost and Energy Savings for Preliminary Design Alternative Assessment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12187507 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (18) ◽

pp. 7507

Author(s):

Carlo Iapige De Gaetani ◽

Andrea Macchi ◽

Pasquale Perri

Keyword(s):

Energy Demand ◽

Alternative Assessment ◽

Energy Savings ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Joint Analysis ◽

Energy Demands ◽

Design Alternatives ◽

The Impact

The building sector plays a central role in addressing the problem of global energy consumption. Therefore, effective design measures need to be taken to ensure efficient usage and management of new structures. The challenging task for designers is to reduce energy demands while maintaining a high-quality indoor environment and low costs of construction and operations. This study proposes a methodological framework that enables decision-makers to resolve conflicts between energy demand and life cycle costs. A case study is analyzed to validate the proposed method, adopting different solutions for walls, roofs, floors, windows, window-to-wall ratios and geographical locations. Models are created on the basis of all the possible combinations between these elements, enriched by their thermal properties and construction/management costs. After the alternative models are defined, energy analyses are carried out for an estimation of consumption. By calculating the total cost of each model as the sum of construction, energy and maintenance costs, a joint analysis is carried out for variable life cycles. The obtained results from the proposed method confirm the importance of a preliminary assessment from both energy and cost points of view, and demonstrate the impact of considering different building life cycles on the choice of design alternatives.

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Environmental Sustainability of Food Consumption in Asia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11205749 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (20) ◽

pp. 5749 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Biraj Adhikari ◽

Trakarn Prapaspongsa

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Calorie Intake ◽

Scientific Publications ◽

Animal Products ◽

The Impact

This study assesses the environmental sustainability of food consumption in Thailand, India, China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia by using a life cycle assessment. These five Asian countries were selected according to the differences in surface area, population density, GDP, and food consumption patterns. The data were obtained from Food and Agriculture Organization food balance sheets, Ecoinvent 3.4 and Agri-footprint 4.0 databases, and scientific publications. The environmental impact categories chosen were global warming, terrestrial acidification, eutrophication, eco-toxicity, human toxicity, and fossil resource scarcity. The impact assessment was carried out by using the ReCiPe2006 v1.1 method. Based on the analysis, the highest environmental impacts for all categories (except eutrophication) were from the food consumption in China, followed by the consumption in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and India. The major contributors to these impacts were meat, cereals, animal products, and alcoholic beverages. Meat was the highest contributor in all countries except India, because of low meat consumption in India. A calorie intake analysis was also conducted, which showed reductions in environmental impacts by shifting towards calorie-adequate and non-environmentally intensive diets in Thailand, China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, a reduction in the consumption of meat, cereals, animal products, and alcoholic beverages could therefore enhance the environmental sustainability of food consumption.

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Theoretical Impact of Building Façade Thickness on Daylight Metrics and Lighting Energy Demand in Buildings: A Case Study of the Tropics

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings11120656 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 656

Author(s):

Rizki A. Mangkuto ◽

Atthaillah ◽

Mochamad Donny Koerniawan ◽

Brian Yuliarto

Keyword(s):

Energy Demand ◽

Case Scenario ◽

Worst Case ◽

Energy Demands ◽

Building Facade ◽

Lighting Energy ◽

Calculation Point ◽

Design Variation ◽

The Tropics ◽

The Impact

In daylighting design, variation of building façade thickness (f) will result in variation of the daylight opening areas, which in turn will modify the values of daylight metrics within the space. However, studies dedicated to investigating the impact of varying f on indoor daylight metrics are relatively scarce. This study, therefore, aims to assess the theoretical impact of various façade thicknesses on various daylight metrics and lighting energy demands in a reference office space. Analytical calculations are performed using an outdoor diffuse illuminance profile of a tropical city. The building façade thickness values are varied within 0–0.50 m, at window-to-wall ratios (WWR) of 25%, 50%, and 75%. Based on sensitivity analysis, it is found that variation of f yields different impacts on the observed metrics, with sDA300/50% being the least influenced. Among all metrics in the central calculation point, DA300, UDI-a, and UDI-a′ yield relatively small coefficients of variation, and thus, have the lowest uncertainty with respect to f. Among all metrics for the entire room, sDA300/50% and sUDI-a50% have the lowest uncertainty, with interquartile ranges of no more than 0.4%. Overall, the contribution of this study is providing insight into the impact of façade thickness on various daylight metrics in indoor spaces, particularly in the worst-case scenario under the standard CIE overcast sky.

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Environmental sustainability assessment of HMF and FDCA production from lignocellulosic biomass through life cycle assessment (LCA)

Holzforschung ◽

10.1515/hf-2018-0100 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 73 (1) ◽

pp. 105-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Sara Bello ◽

Iana Salim ◽

Pedro Méndez-Trelles ◽

Eva Rodil ◽

Gumersindo Feijoo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Life Cycle Inventory Data ◽

Platform Chemicals ◽

Lignocellulosic Feedstock ◽

High Production ◽

Furandicarboxylic Acid

Abstract 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) are top biomass-based platform chemicals with promising potential and an essential part of the future of green chemistry. HMF can be obtained mainly from fructose or glucose. Lignocellulosic glucose has a high production potential from not edible biomass. In the present paper life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed aiming at a better understanding of the environmental performance of the production of FDCA and HMF from lignocellulosic feedstock. Two case studies from the literature were modeled to obtain the life cycle inventory data. The production routes to FDCA comprise seven different process sections: hydrolysis, HMF synthesis, HMF recovery, FDCA synthesis, FDCA flash separation, FDCA purification and HMF boiler. By means of the LCA methodology, solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and dichloromethane (DCM), together with the energy demand, were found to be clear critical points in the process. Two scenarios were in focus: Scenario 1 considered the purification of FDCA through crystallization, whereas in Scenario 2 purification was performed through distillation.

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