Managing the Embodied Carbon of Precast Concrete Columns
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 23, Issue 8
Abstract
With the rising recognition of global climate change, the term emissions is now part of everyday language. The construction industry plays a significant role in economic growth both directly through its activities and indirectly through the provision of buildings and infrastructures for the smooth functioning of businesses. However, this industry is now highly challenged for its detrimental effect on carbon neutral by consuming materials and energy. Research has been conducted to estimate the embodied carbon of construction materials around the world, such as cement, aggregates, aluminum, and steel. These research findings provided fundamental support in estimating the embodied carbon of precast concrete products. This study investigates the production cycle and estimates the embodied carbon of precast concrete columns, which are typically adopted in the Singapore construction industry, where there is a large demand in public housing projects. The results indicate that 609.59 kg of is emitted in the production cycle of a specific type of precast concrete column. Knowing the embodied carbon of precast concrete columns, regulatory bodies are able to provide further recommendations toward sustainable construction. Research institutes can also benefit from this study to conduct further estimation of embodied carbon of other precast concrete products and finally complete the carbon inventory for the construction industry.
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Acknowledgments
Some of the estimation criteria and methods were discussed with a senior research student, Zhong Yun, of the Department of Building, National University of Singapore. Her contributions are gratefully acknowledged.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 23 • Issue 8 • August 2011
Pages: 1192 - 1199
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 13, 2010
Accepted: Jan 27, 2011
Published online: Jan 29, 2011
Published in print: Aug 1, 2011
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