Infrastructure Sustainability: Streamlining Life Cycle Assessment for Practicing Bridge Engineers
Life cycle assessment (LCA) can help bridge design engineers understand, measure, and evaluate the initial and long term environmental impacts of bridge projects, such as energy use and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. LCA can be a helpful tool when comparing conventional construction materials with those that claim to be more environmentally sustainable because it provides the engineer with quantified information on impacts that cannot be identified by a typical bridge life cycle cost analysis (BLCCA). This study investigates the life cycle environmental impacts for a small single span bridge project. A life cycle inventory is completed using the PaLATE v2.1 tool as modified for use with the Greenroads™ Rating System, and reports quantities for two key indicators of environmental impact for the project: energy use and CO2. This research demonstrates that LCA tools can provide useful environmental information quickly and easily for structural engineers, but streamlined tools also require an understanding of the inherent limitations of their data sources and analysis methods.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780784411711
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Supplemental Notes:
- Copyright © 2011 ASCE
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Authors:
- Anderson, Jeralee L
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Conference:
- 2011 Structures Congress
- Location: Las Vegas NV, United States
- Date: 2011-4-14 to 2011-4-16
- Publication Date: 2011
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Print
- Features: Figures; References;
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Bridges; Carbon dioxide; Environmental impacts; Infrastructure; Life cycle analysis; Pollutants; Sustainable development
- Identifier Terms: Greenroads (Rating system)
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Environment; I15: Environment; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01347662
- Record Type: Publication
- ISBN: 978-0-7844-1171-1
- Files: TRIS, ASCE
- Created Date: Aug 8 2011 2:18PM