| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/R18017/01 |
| Title: |
A Statistical Model of Embodied Greenhouse Gas Variability In Major Uk Construction Sector Materials |
| Principal Investigator: |
Shipworth, Professor D |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Department: |
Construction Management and Engineering |
| Organisation: |
University of Reading |
| Scheme: |
Fast Stream |
| Starts: |
01 May 2001 |
Ends: |
30 April 2003 |
Value (£): |
62,125
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Civil Engineering Materials |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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This proposal requests funding for the development of a Bayesian stochastic model of the variability in embodied greenhouse gas emissions in the major UK construction sector materials.The built environment is collectively responsible for between 40% and 50% of UK greenhouse gas emissions as measured in carbon dioxide equivalent units (CO2eq). At the individual construction project level, this can be broken down using life-cycle analysis (LCA) into emissions associated with project procurement (embodied CO2eq); operation (operational CO2eq) and decommissioning (disposal CO2eq). Recent studies have questioned previous assumptions about the relative weighting of these phases within LCA. These studies suggest embodied CO2eq accounts for between 20% and 40% of project life cycle emissions. In the context of UK and EU Kyoto Protocol compliance, and the reassessment of the relative weighting of embodied CO2eq within construction projects' LCAs, there is a need to reassess the adequacy of existing embodied CO2eq models.Current embodied CO2eq models are deterministic, returning a single value for any given material. This obscures data uncertainty and the variability arising from different manufacturing processes. Stochastic modelling of embodied CO2eq distributions for materials is useful to materials specifiers in industry, and for Kyoto Protocol compliance at the EU, UK and Carbon offset project level. No stochastic embodied CO2eq data for building materials is publicly available in the UK or internationally, nor is there an established method for generating such data.Funding is sought to establish such a method, and to generate embodied CO2eq distributions for the major UK building materials. This work is multidisciplinary and its novelty lies in applying established methods from statistics and econometrics to existing data to generate results relevant to academia, government and industry.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.rdg.ac.uk |