Life cycle embodied carbon evaluation of a two-bedroom house construction in Ghana: A comparison between stabilized laterite and sancrete building
This study investigated the embodied carbon (EC) emissions of stabilized laterite brick and sancrete block buildings in the Ghanaian construction industry using a cradle-to-site life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The findings reveal that the embodied carbon footprint of laterite brick is basicall...
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2025-02-01
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| author | Theophilus Frimpong Adu Mohammed D.H. Zebilila Peter Adzakey Wilson Ofori Sarkodie Zakari Mustapha |
| author_facet | Theophilus Frimpong Adu Mohammed D.H. Zebilila Peter Adzakey Wilson Ofori Sarkodie Zakari Mustapha |
| author_sort | Theophilus Frimpong Adu |
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| description | This study investigated the embodied carbon (EC) emissions of stabilized laterite brick and sancrete block buildings in the Ghanaian construction industry using a cradle-to-site life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The findings reveal that the embodied carbon footprint of laterite brick is basically due to the cement content. An air-dried stabilized laterite brick (1:1.6:8.1 ratio of cement, sand and laterite) used in the study exhibited a higher EC of 0.0505 kgCO2e/kg compared to sancrete block (1:16 ratio of cement to sand) of 0.0336 kgCO2e/kg. However, despite the higher EC per kilogram of stabilized laterite brick bricks, the overall stabilized laterite building demonstrated a significantly lower EC per square meter (268.16 kgCO2e/m2) compared to sancrete buildings (313.39 kgCO2e/m2). This is because the stabilized laterite buildings required less plastering, reducing the amount of cement used and paint for finishing. The plastering and paint used in sancrete buildings contribute to higher embodied carbon emissions. This study highlights that replacing cement and paint with lower embodied carbon materials could be a promising strategy for sustainable construction. Further research is recommended to include the entire building life cycle, encompassing not only the construction phase but also the operational and end-of-life stages. Air-dried laterite bricks offer a practical and sustainable choice for Ghana's built environment due to their lower embodied carbon footprint and reliance on locally available materials. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2e605c6a17914dfcaba2a03c88a3d296 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj-art-2e605c6a17914dfcaba2a03c88a3d2962025-02-07T04:47:55ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402025-02-01113e42212Life cycle embodied carbon evaluation of a two-bedroom house construction in Ghana: A comparison between stabilized laterite and sancrete buildingTheophilus Frimpong Adu0Mohammed D.H. Zebilila1Peter Adzakey2Wilson Ofori Sarkodie3Zakari Mustapha4Department of Renewable Energy Technology, Cape Coast Technical University, P. O. Box DL 50, Cape Coast, Ghana; Center for Energy and Carbon Efficiency (ECEFF), Cape Coast, Ghana; Corresponding author. Department of Renewable Energy Technology, Cape Coast Technical University, P. O. Box DL 50, Cape Coast, Ghana.Department of Civil Engineering, Cape Coast Technical University, P. O. Box DL 50, Cape Coast, Ghana; Center for Energy and Carbon Efficiency (ECEFF), Cape Coast, Ghana; Corresponding author. Department of Civil Engineering, Cape Coast Technical University, P. O. Box DL 50, Cape Coast, Ghana.Department of Civil Engineering, Cape Coast Technical University, P. O. Box DL 50, Cape Coast, GhanaDepartment of Renewable Energy Technology, Cape Coast Technical University, P. O. Box DL 50, Cape Coast, GhanaDepartment of Construction Technology and Management, Cape Coast Technical University, P. O. Box DL 50, Cape Coast, GhanaThis study investigated the embodied carbon (EC) emissions of stabilized laterite brick and sancrete block buildings in the Ghanaian construction industry using a cradle-to-site life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The findings reveal that the embodied carbon footprint of laterite brick is basically due to the cement content. An air-dried stabilized laterite brick (1:1.6:8.1 ratio of cement, sand and laterite) used in the study exhibited a higher EC of 0.0505 kgCO2e/kg compared to sancrete block (1:16 ratio of cement to sand) of 0.0336 kgCO2e/kg. However, despite the higher EC per kilogram of stabilized laterite brick bricks, the overall stabilized laterite building demonstrated a significantly lower EC per square meter (268.16 kgCO2e/m2) compared to sancrete buildings (313.39 kgCO2e/m2). This is because the stabilized laterite buildings required less plastering, reducing the amount of cement used and paint for finishing. The plastering and paint used in sancrete buildings contribute to higher embodied carbon emissions. This study highlights that replacing cement and paint with lower embodied carbon materials could be a promising strategy for sustainable construction. Further research is recommended to include the entire building life cycle, encompassing not only the construction phase but also the operational and end-of-life stages. Air-dried laterite bricks offer a practical and sustainable choice for Ghana's built environment due to their lower embodied carbon footprint and reliance on locally available materials.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025005924Climate changeEmbodied carbonGreen BuildingLaterite bricksGhana |
| spellingShingle | Theophilus Frimpong Adu Mohammed D.H. Zebilila Peter Adzakey Wilson Ofori Sarkodie Zakari Mustapha Life cycle embodied carbon evaluation of a two-bedroom house construction in Ghana: A comparison between stabilized laterite and sancrete building Heliyon Climate change Embodied carbon Green Building Laterite bricks Ghana |
| title | Life cycle embodied carbon evaluation of a two-bedroom house construction in Ghana: A comparison between stabilized laterite and sancrete building |
| title_full | Life cycle embodied carbon evaluation of a two-bedroom house construction in Ghana: A comparison between stabilized laterite and sancrete building |
| title_fullStr | Life cycle embodied carbon evaluation of a two-bedroom house construction in Ghana: A comparison between stabilized laterite and sancrete building |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life cycle embodied carbon evaluation of a two-bedroom house construction in Ghana: A comparison between stabilized laterite and sancrete building |
| title_short | Life cycle embodied carbon evaluation of a two-bedroom house construction in Ghana: A comparison between stabilized laterite and sancrete building |
| title_sort | life cycle embodied carbon evaluation of a two bedroom house construction in ghana a comparison between stabilized laterite and sancrete building |
| topic | Climate change Embodied carbon Green Building Laterite bricks Ghana |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025005924 |
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