Concrete vs. Ceramic Blocks: Environmental Impact Evaluation Considering a Country-Level Approach

Abstract

In continental countries, building materials are often moved over long distances from factories to building sites. This is especially important when quality and performance certification systems are required for the building materials’ acquisition. In this scenario, the transportation phase tends to have a great contribution to building materials’ environmental impacts. Taking into consideration that countries such as China, India, and Brazil, i.e., continental countries, are expecting the largest future housing demand, the issue of transportation will have a crucial role in environmental impacts. Through a Brazilian case study, the present work investigates the potential environmental impacts of structural masonry made of concrete and ceramic blocks certified by the Brazilian Quality Program. A cradle-to-site Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) is carried out while considering a country-level approach using data from the literature and Ecoinvent. The results show that ceramic blocks are preferable for most states and scenarios. Human Health and Ecosystem Quality are the two categories most affected by transportation, and they can reach more than 96% and 99%, respectively. The efficiency of the building material transportation system plays an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A shift in building components from concrete to ceramic blocks has the potential to mitigate between 154 and 229 Mt CO2-eq between 2020 and 2050. The methodological approach used in this work can be applied to other building materials and other countries, especially those of continental dimensions that are expected to have a significant future housing demand.

Circular Bioeconomy in the Amazon Rainforest: Evaluation of Açaí Seed Ash as a Regional Solution for Partial Cement Replacement

“…The road modal was adopted with EURO 3 and 10-20 tons from the Ecoinvent v.3.6 database since Brazilian trucks for transporting building materials have similar characteristics [72]. Two scenarios were considered regarding the truck capacity and the form of return: scenario 1, 100% loaded and loaded on return, and scenario 2, 50% loaded and empty return, similar to the study of Caldas et al [73]. The first scenario indicates more efficient transportation, where logistics is planned for the truck to return loaded, while the second scenario indicates less efficient transportation, which is more common for short distances where, in many cases, the truck return planning is neglected.…”

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in Earth Construction: A Systematic Literature Review Considering Five Construction Techniques

“…It is known that the rise of distances of earth and/or aggregates will increase the environmental impacts due to the burning of diesel or other fuel for transportation. This will be critical principally when transportation is not efficient, which is the case in many developing countries [60,61], where earth construction is used as a current practice. In some cases, especially in terms of earth stabilization, it is preferable to take materials from longer distances if they have a better chemical composition that will reduce the number of chemical stabilizers (usually cement or lime).…”

Fly Ash Cement Block as a Sustainable Product versu s the Clay Brick: A Case Study Conducted in Sargodha, Pakistan

“…It can be used extensively in a variety of structures because of its great strength and due to the fact that it can be transformed into any shape or form (Maqsoom et al, 2017). Despite being regarded as one of the most favorable combinations, in the form of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) and Plain Cement Concrete (PCC), keeping in view the diverse scale and nature of construction works (Caldas et al, 2021). However, it is energy intensive and CO₂ emission during its manufacturing, utilization, and processing makes it one of the most unsustainable material choices for the environment.…”