Open AccessDynamic life cycle assessment of straw-based renovation: A case study from a Portuguese neighbourhood
Author(s) -
Verena Göswein,
Francesco Pittau,
José Dinis Silvestre,
Fausto Freire,
Guillaume Habert
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.179
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/588/4/042054
Subject(s) - greenhouse gas , life cycle assessment , neighbourhood (mathematics) , environmental science , embodied energy , environmental economics , climate change , climate change mitigation , global warming , material flow analysis , environmental resource management , natural resource economics , engineering , production (economics) , waste management , ecology , economics , mathematical analysis , mathematics , biology , macroeconomics
Action is needed to mitigate climate change. As the building sector is one of the main contributors to energy consumption, renovation of existing buildings is a key strategy. However, for a drastic greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction, sensible material solutions are required. Bio-based products seem to be a promising alternative thanks to carbon sequestration in the new biomass, which needs to be regrown for substitution. The conventional life cycle assessment (LCA) framework seems unsuited to model temporal emissions and carbon uptake of such solutions. Dynamic LCA (DLCA), which models temporal aspects, is more appropriate to evaluate the environmental performance of bio-based products. Moreover, the different dynamic drivers of urban building stocks should be included to allow for informed material choices. A new methodology is proposed, integrating DLCA with material flow analysis (MFA) considering a dynamic renovation rate. The global warming potential over time of the thermal retrofit of a Lisbon neighbourhood with a straw-based technology is assessed. The results highlight the importance of the end of life scenario, greatly influencing the results in the mid- to long term. Increased renovation rates can yield higher carbon storage benefits. However, if accompanied by technological solutions that rely on carbon intensive materials, e.g. finishing, this can lead to increased embodied carbon emissions in the transition period.