Inventory of Carbon and Energy

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Questions and Answers

What is the range of embodied energy values for Titanium in building materials?

361 - 745 Gj/kg

Comparing the embodied carbon values of Aluminium (Virgin) and Aluminium (Recycled), what is the percentage reduction in embodied carbon when using recycled Aluminium?

Around 85% reduction

What is the embodied energy value of Insulation (Mineral Wool), and how does it compare to other materials?

16.6 Gj/kg

What is the range of embodied carbon values for Concrete with varying percentages of Fly Ash?

<p>0.153 - 0.128 kgCO2/kg</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do the embodied energy values of Copper (Virgin) and Copper (Recycled) compare?

<p>Copper (Recycled) has a significantly lower embodied energy value</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the embodied energy value of Timber, and how does it compare to other materials?

<p>10 Gj/kg</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do the embodied carbon values of Steel (Virgin) and Steel (Recycled) compare?

<p>Steel (Recycled) has a significantly lower embodied carbon value</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated contribution of the cement industry to global anthropogenic CO2 emissions?

<p>5%</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the embodied energy value of Sand, and how does it compare to other materials?

<p>0.081 Gj/kg</p> Signup and view all the answers

How much energy is required to produce one tonne of cement?

<p>About 4000 to 7500 MJ</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary limitation when trying to compare the embodied energy and carbon of different materials?

<p>The limitation is that different quantities of each material are needed to achieve the same structure.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate amount of raw materials required to produce one tonne of cement?

<p>About 1.5 tonnes</p> Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of global energy is attributed to operational energy in buildings?

<p>(Not specified in the text, but related to the topic of energy efficiency in building design)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of the total carbon in a typical house is attributed to embodied carbon?

<p>30%</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main environmental concern associated with the production of aluminium in building materials?

<p>Waste generation (as seen in the image from Louisiana)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which material has the highest embodied energy per unit mass?

<p>Titanium, with an embodied energy range of 361-745 Gj/kg</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate embodied energy of recycled aluminium, and how does it compare to virgin aluminium?

<p>29 Gj/kg, which is significantly lower than virgin aluminium at 218 Gj/kg</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is embodied energy, and what stages of the building process does it refer to?

<p>Energy used / carbon emitted from extracting raw materials, processing materials, assembling building components, transportation of materials, construction and installation, maintenance and repair, and deconstruction and disposal</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate amount of construction materials wasted in the UK each year?

<p>13 million tonnes</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the embodied carbon of concrete with 30% fly ash, and how does it compare to concrete with 0% fly ash?

<p>0.128 kgCO2/kg, which is approximately 16% lower than concrete with 0% fly ash (0.153 kgCO2/kg)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary material of focus in the text that is associated with high embodied energy and carbon emissions?

<p>Concrete (due to the large amount of cement required)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate embodied energy of copper, and how does it compare between virgin and recycled copper?

<p>57 Gj/kg for virgin copper, and 16.5 Gj/kg for recycled copper</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which material has the lowest embodied energy per unit mass?

<p>Water, with an embodied energy of 0.01 Gj/kg</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate embodied carbon of steel, and how does it compare between virgin and recycled steel?

<p>2.71 kgCO2/kg for virgin steel, and 0.44 kgCO2/kg for recycled steel</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Inventory of Carbon and Energy

  • Embodied energy and carbon emissions vary greatly between materials, making direct comparisons difficult.
  • The embodied energy of materials ranges from 0.01 Gj/kg for water to 745 Gj/kg for titanium.
  • The embodied carbon of materials ranges from 0.001 kgCO2/kg for water to 39.6 kgCO2/kg for titanium.

Environmental Impact of Construction Materials

  • Global production of concrete has increased from 40 million cubic meters in 1900 to 6.4 billion cubic meters in 1997.
  • The cement industry contributes around 5% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
  • Every tonne of cement requires 1.5 tonnes of raw materials and 4000-7500 MJ of energy for production.

Waste in the Construction Industry

  • Around 13 million tonnes of construction materials are transported to site in the UK each year, only to be wasted.
  • Waste from aluminium production contributes to environmental degradation.

Embodied Energy and Carbon

  • Embodied energy and carbon include energy used and carbon emitted from extracting raw materials, processing, assembling, transporting, constructing, maintaining, and disposing of materials.
  • Operating energy and carbon refer to energy used and carbon emitted during the building's lifetime.

Inventory of Carbon and Energy Database

  • The Inventory of Carbon and Energy database provides embodied energy and carbon values for hundreds of building materials within a Cradle-to-Gate boundary.
  • The database includes values for materials ranging from titanium to water, with embodied energy ranging from 361-745 Gj/kg for titanium to 0.01 Gj/kg for water.

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