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Carbon implications of end-of-life management of building materials

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  • Dodoo, Ambrose
  • Gustavsson, Leif
  • Sathre, Roger

Abstract

In this study we investigate the effects of post-use material management on the life cycle carbon balance of buildings, and compare the carbon balance of a concrete-frame building to that of a wood-frame building. The demolished concrete is either landfilled, or is crushed into aggregate followed by exposure to air for periods ranging from 4 months to 30 years to increase carbonation uptake of CO2. The demolished wood is assumed to be used for energy to replace fossil fuels. We calculate the carbon flows associated with fossil fuel used for material production, calcination emission from cement manufacture, carbonation of concrete during and after its service life, substitution of fossil fuels by recovered wood residues, recycling of steel, and fossil fuel used for post-use material management. We find that carbonation of crushed concrete results in significant uptake of CO2. However, the CO2 emission from fossil fuel used to crush the concrete significantly reduces the carbon benefits obtained from the increased carbonation due to crushing. Stockpiling crushed concrete for a longer time will increase the carbonation uptake, but may not be practical due to space constraints. Overall, the effect of carbonation of post-use concrete is small. The post-use energy recovery of wood and the recycling of reinforcing steel both give higher carbon benefit than the post-use carbonation. We conclude that carbonation of concrete in the post-use phase does not affect the validity of earlier studies reporting that wood-frame buildings have substantially lower carbon emission than concrete-frame buildings.

Suggested Citation

  • Dodoo, Ambrose & Gustavsson, Leif & Sathre, Roger, 2009. "Carbon implications of end-of-life management of building materials," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 53(5), pages 276-286.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:53:y:2009:i:5:p:276-286
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2008.12.007
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sathre, Roger & Gustavsson, Leif, 2006. "Energy and carbon balances of wood cascade chains," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 332-355.
    2. Worrell, E. & van Heijningen, R.J.J. & de Castro, J.F.M. & Hazewinkel, J.H.O. & de Beer, J.G. & Faaij, A.P.C. & Vringer, K., 1994. "New gross energy-requirement figures for materials production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 627-640.
    3. Sathre, Roger & Gustavsson, Leif, 2009. "Process-based analysis of added value in forest product industries," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 65-75, January.
    4. Hendrik G. van Oss & Amy C. Padovani, 2003. "Cement Manufacture and the Environment Part II: Environmental Challenges and Opportunities," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 7(1), pages 93-126, January.
    5. Petersen, Ann Kristin & Solberg, Birger, 2005. "Environmental and economic impacts of substitution between wood products and alternative materials: a review of micro-level analyses from Norway and Sweden," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 249-259, March.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Edgaras Linkevičius & Povilas Žemaitis & Marius Aleinikovas, 2023. "Sustainability Impacts of Wood- and Concrete-Based Frame Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Chau, C.K. & Hui, W.K. & Ng, W.Y. & Powell, G., 2012. "Assessment of CO2 emissions reduction in high-rise concrete office buildings using different material use options," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 22-34.
    3. Mengwan Zhang & Ning Ma & Youneng Yang, 2023. "Carbon Footprint Assessment and Efficiency Measurement of Wood Processing Industry Based on Life Cycle Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-24, April.
    4. Xiaoyang Zhong & Mingming Hu & Sebastiaan Deetman & Bernhard Steubing & Hai Xiang Lin & Glenn Aguilar Hernandez & Carina Harpprecht & Chunbo Zhang & Arnold Tukker & Paul Behrens, 2021. "Global greenhouse gas emissions from residential and commercial building materials and mitigation strategies to 2060," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Chiara Piccardo & Camille Steinik & Simone Caffè & Alessio Argentoni & Chiara Calderini, 2024. "Primary Energy and Carbon Impacts of Structural Frames with Equivalent Design Criteria: Influence of Different Materials and Levels of Prefabrication," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-22, May.
    6. Loijos, Alexander & Santero, Nicholas & Ochsendorf, John, 2013. "Life cycle climate impacts of the US concrete pavement network," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 76-83.
    7. C. Bergeron, Francis, 2014. "Assessment of the coherence of the Swiss waste wood management," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 62-70.

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