Investigating the Effects of Concrete Mix Design on the Environmental Impacts of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Mostafaei, H; Badarloo, B; Chamasemani, NF; Rostampour, MA; Lehner, P

Investigating the Effects of Concrete Mix Design on the Environmental Impacts of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Mostafaei, H Badarloo, B Chamasemani, NF Rostampour, MA Lehner, P

Permalink

Publisher:: MDPI
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Buildings, 13, (5), pp. 1313

Open Access

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Open Access

This item is open access.

Adobe PDF

Download Published versionAdobe PDF (965.82 kB)

View on publisher's site

View statistics

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Mostafaei, H
dc.contributor.author	Badarloo, B
dc.contributor.author	Chamasemani, NF
dc.contributor.author	Rostampour, MA
dc.contributor.author	Lehner, P
dc.date.accessioned	2024-04-11T06:30:54Z
dc.date.available	2024-04-11T06:30:54Z
dc.identifier.citation	Buildings, 13, (5), pp. 1313
dc.identifier.issn	2075-5309
dc.identifier.issn	2075-5309
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/177750
dc.description.abstract	This study examines the impact of mix design parameters on the environmental effects of producing concrete and reinforced concrete buildings by conducting a life cycle assessment LCA and carbon footprint analysis CFA The study is limited to the cradle to gate phase including the extraction and production of raw materials for concrete production as well as concrete and rebar production material transportation and delivery to the construction site for reinforced concrete structures Three concrete mix designs based on the American Concrete Institute ACI 211 09 standard with compressive strengths of 20 30 and 40 MPa were analyzed The results indicate that cement was the primary contributor to environmental impacts accounting for approximately 90 of the carbon footprint Sand gravel and admixtures followed cement in their impact on LCA results Water usage in concrete production had a negligible effect on LCA indicators Moreover to determine how mix design parameters impact the carbon footprint of reinforced concrete buildings three four story structures were designed The results show that in reinforced concrete buildings concrete was a significant contributor to environmental impacts accounting for over 50 of all indicators in the IMPACT 2002 and CML baseline 2000 methods except for resources and acidification The study underscores the importance of considering mix design parameters in reducing the carbon footprint of reinforced concrete buildings and provides valuable insights into their environmental impacts The findings indicate that cement is the main driver of environmental impacts in both assessment methods accounting for around 90 of the carbon footprint Additionally concrete plays a substantial role in environmental effects contributing to over 50 of all indicators measured in the methods used for evaluating environmental impacts
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	MDPI
dc.relation.ispartof	Buildings
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3390/buildings13051313
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1201 Architecture, 1202 Building, 1203 Design Practice and Management
dc.subject.classification	3301 Architecture
dc.subject.classification	3302 Building
dc.subject.classification	4005 Civil engineering
dc.title	Investigating the Effects of Concrete Mix Design on the Environmental Impacts of Reinforced Concrete Structures
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	13
utslib.for	1201 Architecture
utslib.for	1202 Building
utslib.for	1203 Design Practice and Management
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	true
dc.date.updated	2024-04-11T06:30:53Z
pubs.issue	5
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	13
utslib.citation.issue	5

Abstract:

This study examines the impact of mix design parameters on the environmental effects of producing concrete and reinforced concrete buildings by conducting a life cycle assessment LCA and carbon footprint analysis CFA The study is limited to the cradle to gate phase including the extraction and production of raw materials for concrete production as well as concrete and rebar production material transportation and delivery to the construction site for reinforced concrete structures Three concrete mix designs based on the American Concrete Institute ACI 211 09 standard with compressive strengths of 20 30 and 40 MPa were analyzed The results indicate that cement was the primary contributor to environmental impacts accounting for approximately 90 of the carbon footprint Sand gravel and admixtures followed cement in their impact on LCA results Water usage in concrete production had a negligible effect on LCA indicators Moreover to determine how mix design parameters impact the carbon footprint of reinforced concrete buildings three four story structures were designed The results show that in reinforced concrete buildings concrete was a significant contributor to environmental impacts accounting for over 50 of all indicators in the IMPACT 2002 and CML baseline 2000 methods except for resources and acidification The study underscores the importance of considering mix design parameters in reducing the carbon footprint of reinforced concrete buildings and provides valuable insights into their environmental impacts The findings indicate that cement is the main driver of environmental impacts in both assessment methods accounting for around 90 of the carbon footprint Additionally concrete plays a substantial role in environmental effects contributing to over 50 of all indicators measured in the methods used for evaluating environmental impacts

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/177750