Green production of airport terminals considering carbon footprint and indoor air quality: A multi-objective optimization perspective

Abstract

The escalating carbon emissions from global civil aviation, exceeding 70 % of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) forecasted levels between 2013 and 2019, underscore an urgent need for sustainable practices in airport terminal production. To address this challenge, the present study has formulated a multi-objective optimization model that comprehensively incorporates two crucial aspects: carbon emissions from airport terminals and passenger comfort. Specifically, models for carbon emissions and indoor environmental air quality are developed, taking into account factors such as ambient temperature, light intensity, noise, and ventilation quality concerning both airport terminal emissions and passenger comfort. Building upon these models, a multi-objective programming framework is devised, considering practical operational constraints. To contend with uncertainties in model parameters, the model is evolved into a fuzzy optimization framework and thereafter solved by the fuzzy optimization theory. The model’s viability is tested through a case study of Mianyang Airport’s terminal in China’s southwestern region. In the context of concurrently considering carbon emission reduction and optimizing indoor environmental quality, winter carbon emissions increased by 212.09 % compared to summer, while indoor environmental quality declined by 5.68 %.