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Evaluation Analysis of the CO 2 Emission and Absorption Life Cycle for Precast Concrete in Korea

Author

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  • Taehyoung Kim

    (Building and Urban Research Institute, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang-Si, Gyeonggi-Do 10223, Korea)

  • Chang U. Chae

    (Building and Urban Research Institute, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang-Si, Gyeonggi-Do 10223, Korea)

Abstract

To comply with recent international trends and initiatives, and in order to help achieve sustainable development, Korea has established a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target of 37% (851 million tons) of the business as usual (BAU) rate by 2030. Regarding environmentally-oriented standards such as the IGCC (International Green Construction Code), there are also rising demands for the assessment on CO 2 emissions during the life cycle in accordance with ISO (International Standardization Organization’s Standard) 14040. At present, precast concrete (PC) engineering-related studies primarily cover structural and construction aspects, including improvement of structural performance in the joint, introduction of pre-stressed concrete and development of half PC. In the manufacture of PC, steam curing is mostly used for the early-strength development of concrete. In steam curing, a large amount of CO 2 is produced, causing an environmental problem. Therefore, this study proposes a method to assess CO 2 emissions (including absorption) throughout the PC life cycle by using a life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Using the proposed assessment method, CO 2 emissions during the life cycle of a precast concrete girder (PCG) were assessed. In addition, CO 2 absorption was assessed against a PCG using conventional carbonation and CO 2 absorption-related models. As a result, the CO 2 emissions throughout the life cycle of the PCG were 1365.6 (kg-CO 2 /1 PCG). The CO 2 emissions during the production of raw materials among the CO 2 emissions throughout the life cycle of the PCG were 1390 (kg-CO 2 /1 PCG), accounting for a high portion to total CO 2 emissions (nearly 90%). In contrast, the transportation and manufacture stages were 1% and 10%, respectively, having little effect on total CO 2 emissions. Among the use of the PCG, CO 2 absorption was mostly decided by the CO 2 diffusion coefficient and the amount of CO 2 absorption by cement paste. The CO 2 absorption by carbonation throughout the service life of the PC was about 11% of the total CO 2 emissions, which is about 16% of CO 2 emissions from ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete.

Suggested Citation

  • Taehyoung Kim & Chang U. Chae, 2016. "Evaluation Analysis of the CO 2 Emission and Absorption Life Cycle for Precast Concrete in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-13, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:7:p:663-:d:73872
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cabeza, Luisa F. & Rincón, Lídia & Vilariño, Virginia & Pérez, Gabriel & Castell, Albert, 2014. "Life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) of buildings and the building sector: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 394-416.
    2. Kim, Taehyoung & Tae, Sungho & Roh, Seungjun, 2013. "Assessment of the CO2 emission and cost reduction performance of a low-carbon-emission concrete mix design using an optimal mix design system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 729-741.
    3. Lee, Kanghee & Tae, Sungho & Shin, Sungwoo, 2009. "Development of a Life Cycle Assessment Program for building (SUSB-LCA) in South Korea," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 1994-2002, October.
    4. Han-Seung Lee & Xiao-Yong Wang, 2016. "Evaluation of the Carbon Dioxide Uptake of Slag-Blended Concrete Structures, Considering the Effect of Carbonation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-18, March.
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    2. Ä°rem Åžanal, 2018. "Discussion on the effectiveness of cement replacement for carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction in concrete," Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 8(2), pages 366-378, April.
    3. Joowook Kim & Jemin Myoung & Hyunwoo Lim & Doosam Song, 2020. "Efficiency Gap Caused by the Input Data in Evaluating Energy Efficiency of Low-Income Households’ Energy Retrofit Program," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-11, April.
    4. Jeeyoung Lim & Joseph J. Kim, 2020. "Dynamic Optimization Model for Estimating In-Situ Production Quantity of PC Members to Minimize Environmental Loads," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-20, October.
    5. Tomasz Rudnicki, 2022. "The Impact of the Aggregate Used on the Possibility of Reducing the Carbon Footprint in Pavement Concrete," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Golden Odey & Bashir Adelodun & Sang-Hyun Kim & Kyung-Sook Choi, 2021. "Status of Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A Case Study of South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-30, June.

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