An improved carbon emission calculation framework of precast concrete column in construction stage based on LCA

Abstract

ABSTRACT The abundant carbon emissions generated by the construction industry have gradually become a significant problem. Rather than employing traditional construction methods, the industrialized building system adopts the efficient on-site assembly of prefabricated components, which provides a new solution for reducing industry carbon emissions. Currently, great differences exist in the life cycle assessment schemes for prefabricated buildings and components, which requires considering many different factors. The accuracy and applicability of the results must therefore be improved. In this study, an improved life cycle calculation framework is proposed to assess the carbon emissions of prefabricated concrete columns in the construction stage. Based on the commonly used calculation methods of carbon emission factors, the framework uses a new calculation method with more considerations for vehicle transportation and uses the consumer lifestyle method to estimate construction workers’ carbon emissions. The framework also fully considers the loss of components in the transportation process. The calculated results are compared with the traditional carbon emission factor calculation methods. Overall, the results for the framework are relatively significant because they more comprehensively consider various factors when compared to results using the traditional calculation methods.