Development of a Pre-Verified EPD Tool with Process Simulation Capabilities for the Aggregates Industry

Panagiota Papadopoulou,Diego Peñaloza,Gauti Asbjörnsson,Erik Hulthén,Magnus Evertsson

doi:10.3390/su13179492

Panagiota Papadopoulou, Diego Peñaloza + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179492

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Abstract

This paper has two aims: to describe the current status and challenges of aggregates producers regarding the analysis and communication of environmental information of their products and to present a layout of a pre-verified tool with simulation capabilities that could assist aggregates producers with their environmental goals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Swedish aggregates producers, an aggregates customer, and an expert agency. Additionally, published Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for aggregates and the EN 15804:2012 + A2:2019 were studied to reveal current practices and upcoming changes due to the updated standard. The synergies with process simulations were explored as a step towards using the EPD framework for continuous improvement of aggregates production. The interviews indicated that the main challenge for aggregates producers is the lack of easily available plant data for environmental calculations and clearly defined environmental goals at each plant. The proposed tool uses a common process flowsheet for both EPDs and simulations and has a pre-defined LCA module. The use of such a tool is expected to raise the environmental interest at aggregates plants and improve collaboration with LCA experts. Since the analysis is based on the Swedish aggregates market, the interview results are not directly generalizable to the European context.

Highlights

All three companies are part of the fossil-free Sweden initiative, which for the construction sector implies 50% reduced greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, 75% reduced greenhouse gas emissions in 2040, and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2045 [83] with the Swedish aggregates industry setting up similar goals [84]
This paper explored the current status and challenges that the aggregates producers The while different usersenvironmental of the tool anddata thefor choices they make while using the tool areEPD
The for tool with simulation capabilities was presented to ease the process of creating an tool,aggregates the controlled factors are introduced

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. From the main ingredient in concrete and asphalt to a final product for railway tracks, aggregates constitute an indispensable component of industrial societies. The annual demand for aggregates is estimated at 50 billion metric tons globally, making aggregates the largest amongst the non-energy extractive industries in terms of tonnages produced and people employed [1]. The environmental impact of the aggregates during their lifecycle is important to be assessed, monitored, and communicated among stakeholders to get a better overview of the industry’s environmental impact and identify areas of improvement. Environmental and process metrics EPD database Availability?

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