Towards Net Zero Carbon Economy: Improving the Sustainability of Existing Industrial Infrastructures in the UK

Abstract

To comply with the new net zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) target set by the United Kingdom government by 2050, different sectors including the industrial sector are required to take action to achieve this target. Improving the building envelope and production of clean energy on site are among the activities that should be considered by businesses to reduce their carbon emissions. This research analysis the current energy performance and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of an industrial building in Liverpool, UK utilizing the Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment (IESVE) software modeling. Then it has proposed some methods for improving the current performance and reduce the carbon footprint of the building. The results indicated that the installation of wall and floor insulation could decrease the energy usage and CO2 emissions of the building by about 56.39%. Additionally, the production of clean energy on site using solar photovoltaic (PV) panels could reduce the annual CO2 emissions by up to 16%. Furthermore, this research provided some figures about offsetting the rest of CO2 emissions using different international offsetting schemes to achieve carbon neutrality of the building.

Finite Element Simulations of the CFRP Retrofitted Hollow Square Columns

“…Previous researches on CFPTs have been only partial to axial compression tests (Jiang, Ma, and Wu 2014). The materials of PVC representing noticeable mechanical characteristics in comparison to other normal olefin plastics purpose (Al-Baghdadi, Shubbar, and Al-Khafaji 2021; Zainab S Al-Khafaji, Majdi, Shubbar, Nasr, Al-Mamoori, Alkhayyat, et al 2021;Al-Mamoori et al 2021;Falah et al 2021;Marshdi et al 2021;A. Shubbar et al 2021;A A Shubbar et al 2022), illustrate a remarkable proportion of the cost to performance, particularly significant durability (Kurt 1978;J.…”

“…One of the most critical members is the column, which transfers loads from top member to bottom members and then to foundations [m1, m2]. Environmental impacts could lead to structural deterioration, which reduces the strength of the columns (Al-Khafaji et al, 2018;Al-Khafaji, Falah, et al, 2021). Despite the damaged column could be replaced with new structure, there are many techniques that could be applied to strengthen/retrofit the columns.…”

Interrelationship study of the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on the environment and socioeconomic activities: a novel approach to finding sustainable solutions

“…9 The UK is of no exemption even following its set target to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to be net zero by 2050. 10 While natural gas seems to be a good fit for a transition energy source to a net-zero economy in the UK, it is imperative to note that the continuous importation of liquified natural gas (LNG) from other countries to offset the energy demand may not be environmentally and economically friendly. This is due to the high energy requirements for LNG's liquification, transportation, and regasification before reaching the consumers.…”

The behavior of tapered one-way continuous two-span reinforced concrete slabs under repeated load

“…Recently, the impact of utilizing non-prismatic cross-section on the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) structural components have been extensively studied. Researchers mostly focused on the tapered cross-section of RC beams [7]- [11]. When used to replace equal strength prismatic sections, these beams can reduce steel and concrete consumption (see Figure 1).…”