{"title":"Embodied carbon saving of reusing concrete elements in new buildings: A Swedish pilot study","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107930","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Reusing the building elements is the highest possible level of circularity for buildings that must be demolished, potentially slowing down climate change. This study explores the embodied carbon reduction of construction of a pilot building with structural elements of reused concrete. The assessment focuses on applying different methodological approaches and discussing the upscaling opportunities of reusing concrete elements from a global warming potential perspective. The assessment shows large embodied carbon savings compared to conventional building practices like recycling the concrete and building with new low-carbon and prefabricated elements. Embodied carbon saving is also obvious when applying alternative system modelling, future market projection and different allocation approaches of the production emissions of the elements. Finally, the study emphasises the need for further research in evaluating the benefits of reusing structural concrete elements broadly, like including the deconstruction impact related to elements for reuse, to be able to draw general conclusions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":11.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344924005238/pdfft?md5=8f5cad5fe2e461a42058473f686d882e&pid=1-s2.0-S0921344924005238-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344924005238","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Reusing the building elements is the highest possible level of circularity for buildings that must be demolished, potentially slowing down climate change. This study explores the embodied carbon reduction of construction of a pilot building with structural elements of reused concrete. The assessment focuses on applying different methodological approaches and discussing the upscaling opportunities of reusing concrete elements from a global warming potential perspective. The assessment shows large embodied carbon savings compared to conventional building practices like recycling the concrete and building with new low-carbon and prefabricated elements. Embodied carbon saving is also obvious when applying alternative system modelling, future market projection and different allocation approaches of the production emissions of the elements. Finally, the study emphasises the need for further research in evaluating the benefits of reusing structural concrete elements broadly, like including the deconstruction impact related to elements for reuse, to be able to draw general conclusions.
期刊介绍:
The journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling welcomes contributions from research, which consider sustainable management and conservation of resources. The journal prioritizes understanding the transformation processes crucial for transitioning toward more sustainable production and consumption systems. It highlights technological, economic, institutional, and policy aspects related to specific resource management practices such as conservation, recycling, and resource substitution, as well as broader strategies like improving resource productivity and restructuring production and consumption patterns.
Contributions may address regional, national, or international scales and can range from individual resources or technologies to entire sectors or systems. Authors are encouraged to explore scientific and methodological issues alongside practical, environmental, and economic implications. However, manuscripts focusing solely on laboratory experiments without discussing their broader implications will not be considered for publication in the journal.