Sensitivity of Concrete Embodied Carbon Emissions to Cement Production and Material Transportation

The objective of this study is to assess the sensitivity of concrete’s embodied global warming potential (GWP) to life-cycle assessment (LCA) parameters. Specifically, the study investigates the concrete mixture development stages of an LCA dealing with materials extraction, transportation to the production facility, and mixing at the production facility. These same stages are used to estimate a concrete mixture’s environmental impacts within environmental product declarations (EPDs). This study explores the framework of a spring-and-dashpot model to represent the carbon emissions from concrete production. The spring-and-dashpot model is introduced and verified in this work. The model identifies the two parameters within an LCA that most affect the GWP of a concrete mixture. Using this framework, the study investigates the sensitivity of a concrete mixture’s carbon emissions to those two most influential parameters. This model was used to assess the uncertainty of model-, laboratory-, and field-based concrete mixture designs. The mechanical performance and durability of concrete mixtures from laboratory and field data sets were compared with their calculated concrete GWPs and displayed no correlation, even accounting for GWP’s uncertainty, suggesting that a strong and durable concrete can also be sustainable.