Carbon emission of recycled concrete based integrated pre-fabricated structure: Case study from perspective of entire materialisation

Abstract

To investigate the potential impact of combining pre-fabricated construction and recycled concrete on carbon emission reduction, we conducted carbon emission calculations on three types of structures: integrated pre-fabricated structures based on recycled aggregate concrete (IPSRAC), integrated pre-fabricated structures based on natural aggregate concrete (IPSNAC), and cast-in-place structures based on natural aggregate concrete (CSNAC). We used the annual average price in the carbon trading market to convert carbon emissions into enterprise costs. Our results show that IPSNAC can reduce carbon emissions by 25.9% compared to CSNAC, resulting in a cost saving of 18.2 yuan per 1 m3 of construction components. Furthermore, IPSRAC can further reduce carbon emissions by 8.2% compared to IPSNAC, resulting in a cost saving of 5.8 yuan per 1 m3 of construction components. Our findings provide important data for construction enterprises to make informed decisions about integrating pre-fabricated construction and recycled concrete to reduce carbon emissions.