Reducing the environmental impact of concrete products, while at the same time saving money

In this paper, the global warming potential and embodied energy associated with the manufacture of concrete precast products in Northern Ireland is assessed though life cycle assessment. This analysis is to form part of the... [ view full abstract ]

In this paper, the global warming potential and embodied energy associated with the manufacture of concrete precast products in Northern Ireland is assessed though life cycle assessment. This analysis is to form part of the environmental product declaration for precast concrete products manufactured at the factory. A cradle-to-gate analysis is performed, which includes raw material supply, transport to the manufacturer and manufacturing. The total global warming potential (GWP) and embodied energy (EE) for precast concrete products manufactured at Tracey Concrete Ltd in Northern Ireland were found to be 476.3 kg CO2eq/m3 (or 202.7 kg CO2 eq/tonne) and 3243.9 MJ/m3 (or 1380.4 MJ/tonne), respectively. The impacts associated with the production of cement was, by far, the most significant contributor to the total impacts, as it accounted for approximately 71% and 48% of the total GWP and EE, respectively. The results of the study are presented and compared to an international study. A strategy for reducing the environmental impact of the manufacturing stage, in terms of embodied energy and global warming potential, is discussed and the monetary cost savings are presented. A strategy for reducing the environmental impact (GWP and EE) of the factory by installing an LED lighting system to improve the efficiency of on-site energy usage is proposed. This system would incur a reduction of 16,399 kg CO2eq per annum, while saving approximately £16,827 per annum. This illustrates how reducing the negative environmental impact can also save money.