Life cycle assessment of ceramic roof tiles: A temporal perspective

Abstract

The production of ceramic roof tiles is energy intensive, leading to high carbon dioxide emissions intensity. The aim of this study is to conduct a life cycle assessment study to evaluate the environmental profile of ceramic roof tiles produced in two Portuguese ceramic plants (T1 and T2) that use different technologies. This assessment is performed on a temporal basis (over a 10-year period) to evaluate the effect that ceramic processual changes have on environmental impacts. System boundaries include the whole life cycle—from extraction and acquisition of raw materials up to tile end of life. Environmental impacts were calculated for eight impact categories. The impact results show an overall improvement in the environmental performance of roof tiles produced in T1 and T2 for all impact categories over the 10-year period as a result of the continued introduction of technical and energy saving measures during the tile manufacturing. Overall, roof tile 2 shows the worst environmental profile for all impact categories, with the exceptions of acidification and photochemical oxidant formation, due to the use of refractory material in the firing process. These exceptions can be explained by the existence of a dry flue gas cleaning adsorber with a filter coupled at kilns in T2. • Ceramic roof tile LCA study with inventory data over a 10-year period enables an integrated timeframe perspective of roof tiles environmental burdens. • Overall, improvement in the environmental performance of the T1 and T2 plants for all impact categories over the 10-year period was observed. • Changes to production technology affect the potential environmental impacts of ceramic roof tiles. • Overall, the production stage (modules A1–A3) is the hotspot for all impact categories.