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

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61989100%3A27120%2F23%3A10252602" target="_blank" >RIV/61989100:27120/23:10252602 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/13/5/1313" target="_blank" >https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/13/5/1313</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051313" target="_blank" >10.3390/buildings13051313</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

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

Original language description

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.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

20102 - Construction engineering, Municipal and structural engineering

Project

—

Continuities

V - Vyzkumna aktivita podporovana z jinych verejnych zdroju

Publication year

2023

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Buildings

ISSN

2075-5309

e-ISSN

2075-5309

Volume of the periodical

13

Issue of the periodical within the volume

5

Country of publishing house

CH - SWITZERLAND

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

000998026800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85160089287