This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Open AccessArticle
Carbon Accounting for Permeable Pavement Based on the Full Life Cycle Approach and Its Application
1
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
2
College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7293; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177293 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 8 July 2024
/
Revised: 15 August 2024
/
Accepted: 20 August 2024
/
Published: 24 August 2024
Abstract
Conventional pavement in aging communities requires renovation in alignment with global carbon reduction initiatives. This study, centered on upgrading facilities in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and the Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), utilized the Energy Expert platform to assess the carbon footprint of permeable pavement using life cycle assessment (LCA). The results revealed that the total carbon emission of the 64,065 m2 permeable pavement was 7066.21 tCO2eq. The carbon emission contribution, from highest to lowest, was the production phase, maintenance phase, end-of-life phase, and construction phase. Notably, transportation alone constituted a substantial portion, amounting to 30.15% of total carbon emissions. Compared to traditional pavements, permeable pavement showcased substantial potential for carbon reduction, primarily during the use phase, by enhancing groundwater recharge and mitigating the urban heat island effect, which is critical in reducing the carbon footprint. The estimated total carbon reduction was 853.10 tCO2eq. Sensitivity analysis highlighted diesel energy use in the maintenance phase (51.20%), transportation of cement raw materials in the production phase (45.80%), and transportation of graded gravel for disposal in the end-of-life phase (3.00%) as key factors. Our findings suggest that adopting specific carbon reduction measures, such as substituting gangue for cement binder, transitioning to manual sweeping, and recycling all discarded materials can achieve notable reductions in the respective phases. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of permeable pavement in reducing carbon emissions, providing insights for the renovation of aging communities.
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Wang, L.; Shao, Z.; Zhang, X.; Wang, Y.
Carbon Accounting for Permeable Pavement Based on the Full Life Cycle Approach and Its Application. Sustainability 2024, 16, 7293.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177293
AMA Style
Wang L, Shao Z, Zhang X, Wang Y.
Carbon Accounting for Permeable Pavement Based on the Full Life Cycle Approach and Its Application. Sustainability. 2024; 16(17):7293.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177293
Chicago/Turabian Style
Wang, Lu, Zhiyuan Shao, Xurui Zhang, and Yafei Wang.
2024. "Carbon Accounting for Permeable Pavement Based on the Full Life Cycle Approach and Its Application" Sustainability 16, no. 17: 7293.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177293
Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details
here.
Article Metrics
Article Access Statistics
For more information on the journal statistics, click
here.
Multiple requests from the same IP address are counted as one view.