Construction Sites &

Pollution
Patrick O’Neil~ Aditya Bhandari – Ryan Johnson
Why C02?

• Relevant measurement to identify

and monitor human induced
activity from Construction.
• By Using C02 as our primary
indicator, we can narrow down the
key individual factors of the
construction process and create
alternatives towards further
prevention of the planets
warming.
Life Cycle Analysis
Importance of 1st and 2nd phase of LCA

• Stage 1: Product • Stage 2: Construction

• Raw Material Extraction & • Distribution
Supply • Transportation
• Transportation • Construction
• Manufacturing • Installation
Embodied Energy vs Embodied Carbon

• Embodied Energy: The amount • Embodied Carbon: The amount

of energy consumed to of carbon dioxide emitted
extract, refine, process and during manufacture, transport
transport a product. and construction of building
• (MJ/kg) materials.
• (kgC02e/kg)
Data from Stanford Serra St Project
• Materials Used on Site
• 12”, 8” and 6” C900 PVC Pipe (~1000 feet
total)
• Megalug iron joint restraints with stainless steel
bolts (~20 total)
• 2” brass fittings (~10 total)
• Recycled Class 2 aggregate base (~500 tons
total)
• 6 sack concrete with red oxide (~260 yards
total)
• ½” medium asphalt concrete (~220 tons total)
• Concrete communication and electric vaults
with iron lids (4 vaults total, ~50 yards of
concrete and a few hundred pounds of iron)
• 5”, 4” and 2” Schedule 40 PVC Pipe (~15,000
feet total)
• PVC Fittings (~1,300 total)
• Cost of Project: $1,200,000.00
• 30% of Cost= Materials
• $360,000= Materials
• Operators & Equipment
• 1 operator using a Takeuchi TB1140
excavator – diesel power
• 1 operator using a CAT 307C excavator –
diesel power
• 1 operator using a CAT 938K Loader –
diesel power
• Additional Equipment – 2 Ford F350
Pickups (unleaded gasoline), 1 500 gallon
Water Trailer (no engine), gas powered
5kv generator
• Operator – 40 straight hours + 12 hours of overtime
Our Calculations of Serra St Project

• PVC Pipe
• 129,722.482 kgC02e/kg
• Brass Fittings
• 23.76 kgC02e/kg
• 300 Pounds of Iron
• 276 kgC02e/kg
• Concrete
• 29,040 kgC02e/kg
• Aggregate Base
• 2,358.36 kgC02e/kg
• 3 Diesel Excavators
• 228,465,000 kgc02e/kg
• Total Estimate:
• 228,626,420.00 kgC02e/kg
• (Many Limitations)
Highest Co2 levels of Materials & Processes

• PVC pipe held the second highest

concentration of Embodied
Carbon. (1st in Materials)
• Need to create alternative in
future projects.
• 3 excavators (1 being pictured to
the right), held the highest
Embodied Carbon levels as they
were operated on for an average
of 40 hours per week, per
operator, plus overtime.
Average Embodied Carbon emitted from Construction Site
(Outside of Stanford)

• All calculations here are from

an Example of a 3 Story House
built in 1970.
• Data shows how technology is
changing at too slow of a pace.
• 1970 Average Construction
site: 442,175,705.95 kgC02e
• Need to create more
alternatives as technology
grows.
 Alternative Energy for Concrete and
Machinery
• Environment Friendly Construction Materials:
• 1. Bamboo, Bamboo Based Particle Board & Ply Board, Bamboo Matting
• 2. Bricks sun dried
• 3. Pre-cast cement concrete blocks, lintels, slab. Structural and non-
structural modular elements
• 4. Calcined Phospho-Gypsum Wall Panels
• 5. Calcium silicate boards and Tiles
• 6. Cellular Light Weight Concrete Blocks
• 7. Cement Paint
• 8. Clay roofing tiles
• 9. Water, polyurethane and acrylic based chemical admixtures for corrosion
removal, rust prevention, water proofing
• 10. Epoxy Resin System, Flooring, sealants, adhesives and admixture
Toxic Chemicals/ Metals on Construction Sites

• Toxic Chemicals used in

Stanford Construction:
• Lead, Iron, Gypsum, Concrete.
 Cumulative Summer Construction at Stanford

• 59 Current Construction
projects on campus this
summer.
• Smallest alternative could
create drastic changes in
levels of Embodied Carbon.
Conclusion

• Technology leads to growth,

need more technology for
construction.
• Invest in Alternative energy
source for machinery.
• Use Recycled materials for
construction.
• Eliminate PVC materials.
Sources

• https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/aggi/aggi.fig2.png
•
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269031946_The_Role_of_Building_Construction_Materials_on_Global
_Warming_Lessons_for_Architects
•
• https://theconstructor.org/building/health-issues-building-materials-construction/17399/amp/
•
• https://theconstructor.org/building/eco-friendly-building-materials/720/
•
• http://www.circularecology.com/embodied-energy-and-carbon-footprint-database.html#.WYIkZGWRlR0
•
• http://aaastop.stanford.edu/images/stanforduniversity2.jpg