Estimating the Additional Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Korea: Focused on Demolition of Asbestos Containing Materials in Building.

Young-Chan Kim,Yuan-Long Zhang,Youn-Kyu Seo,Jun-Ho Choi,Won-Hwa Hong,Byeung-Hun Son

doi:10.3390/ijerph13090902

Abstract

When asbestos containing materials (ACM) must be removed from the building before demolition, additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are generated. However, precedent studies have not considered the removal of ACM from the building. The present study aimed to develop a model for estimating GHG emissions created by the ACM removal processes, specifically the removal of asbestos cement slates (ACS). The second objective was to use the new model to predict the total GHG emission produced by ACM removal in the entire country of Korea. First, an input-equipment inventory was established for each step of the ACS removal process. Second, an energy consumption database for each equipment type was established. Third, the total GHG emission contributed by each step of the process was calculated. The GHG emissions generated from the 1,142,688 ACS-containing buildings in Korea was estimated to total 23,778 tonCO2eq to 132,141 tonCO2eq. This study was meaningful in that the emissions generated by ACS removal have not been studied before. Furthermore, the study deals with additional problems that can be triggered by the presence of asbestos in building materials. The method provided in this study is expected to contribute greatly to the calculation of GHG emissions caused by ACM worldwide.

Highlights

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions occur during the dismantling of general building materials
When asbestos containing materials (ACM) must be removed from the building before demolition, additional GHG
The GHG emission generated by the asbestos cement slates (ACS) removal stage per one day of ACS was found to range from 1.0436 kgCO2 eq to 2.7997 kgCO2 eq, while the GHG emission generated by transporting 1 m2 of ACS for 1 km by a single cargo truck ranged from 0.000646 kgCO2 eq to

Summary

Introduction

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that without global efforts to reduce additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the mean global temperature may rise by up to. 3–5 degrees by 2100 [1,2]. The global society is adopting extensive practices and policies toward reducing GHG emissions [3]. Various studies conducted over the past couple of years have focused on the reduction of GHG emissions from the building sector [4,5,6,7], as this sector accounts for approximately 30% of total global GHG emission [8]. GHGs are generated by buildings directly and indirectly over the course of a building’s life cycle, from the construction stage through the operation. Public Health 2016, 13, 902; doi:10.3390/ijerph13090902 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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