An Optimization System for Concrete Life Cycle Cost and Related CO 2 Emissions

Tae Hyoung Kim, Sung Ho Tae, Sung Joon Suk, George Ford and Keun Hyek Yang
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Tae Hyoung Kim: Building and Urban Research Institute, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Daehwa-dong 283, Goyandae-Ro, ILsanseo-Gu, Goyang-Si 10223, Korea
Sung Ho Tae: School of Architecture & Architectural Engineering, Hanyang University, 1271 Sa 3-dong, Sangrok-Gu, Ansan-Si 15588, Korea
Sung Joon Suk: Department of Construction Management, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723, USA
Keun Hyek Yang: Department of Plant & Architectural Engineering, Kyonggi University, 154-42 Gwanggyosan-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-Si 16227, Korea

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: An optimization system that supports the production of concrete while minimizing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions or costs is presented that incorporates an evolution algorithm for the materials’ mix design stage, a trigonometric function for the transportation stage, and a stochastic model for the manufacturing stage. A case study demonstrates that applying the optimization system reduced CO 2 emissions by 34% compared to the standard concrete production processes typically used. When minimizing the cost of concrete production was prioritized, the cost dropped by 1% compared to the cost of conventional concrete production. These findings confirm that this optimization system helps with the design of the concrete mix and the choice of a material supplier, thus reducing both CO 2 emissions and costs.

Keywords: concrete; life cycle assessment; CO 2 emission; cost (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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