Carbon Emission Reduction Evaluation of End-of-Life Buildings Based on Multiple Recycling Strategies

Bin Lei, Wanying Yang, Yusong Yan, Zhuo Tang () and Wenkui Dong ()
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Bin Lei: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Wanying Yang: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Yusong Yan: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Zhuo Tang: School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410004, China
Wenkui Dong: Institute of Construction Materials, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-17

Abstract: With the promotion of sustainability in the buildings and construction sector, the carbon saving strategies for the end-of-life (EoL) phase have been receiving increasing attention. In this research, life cycle assessment (LCA) theory was employed to study and compare the carbon savings benefits of three different management strategies (i.e., recycling, remanufacturing, and reuse) on the EoL phase of various buildings (including residential, office, commercial, and school buildings). Moreover, the carbon savings potential (CSP) was calculated and analyzed, which is defined as the percentage of the actual carbon savings to the sum of the total embodied carbon of the building. Results show that compared with traditional demolition and landfill treatment, the implementation of integrated management strategies for residential, office, commercial, and school buildings can reduce carbon emissions by 193.5–526.4 kgCO 2 -e/m 2 . Among the building materials, steel bar, structural steel, and concrete account for the major proportion of the total carbon savings of buildings (81.5–93.2%). The sequence of the CSPs for the four types of buildings, in descending order, is school, residential, commercial, and office buildings. A building with a life span of 50 years has the greatest CSP. The results of the study can be used to reduce environmental impacts, and have broad positive implications in terms of sustainable construction.

Keywords: end-of-life; deconstruction; life cycle assessment (LCA); embodied carbon; recycling; remanufacturing; reuse (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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