ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT EVALUATION ON INTERLOCKING COMPRESSED EARTH BRICK USING LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

Authors

Keywords:

Interlocking Compressed Earth Brick, Environmental Impact, Carbon Emission, Global Warming Potential, Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Interlocking Compressed Earth Bricks (ICEB) is one of the alternative low carbon building materials replacing conventional brick. This study evaluates the embodied environmental impact of ICEB production in terms of embodied environmental implications for global warming potential (GWP). The life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis methodology was performed to identify and quantify the environmental performance of brick production from cradle-to-gate. Additionally, the emission in terms of GWP is analyzed using GaBi software. The system investigated includes raw materials and machinery used for brick production and transportation. Energy use and emissions are quantified, and the potential environmental effects are assessed. Sensitivity analyses were calculated on the percentage of cement content of 15% and 10% of the soil weight. The results show that the embodied carbon for 1 kg clay bricks in Sabah is 0.202 kgCO2-eq. Cement usage in brick production contributes the most significant environmental impact with carbon emissions of 0.172 kgCO2. The carbon emission of ICEB found a slight improvement compared to the conventional fired clay bricks (FCB). The result on sensitivity analyses found that the GWP reduced to 27-51% as the percentage of cement content was reduced at 10 and 15%. The findings proved that carbon emissions could be reduced with a lower cement usage in the mix design of ICEB.

Author Biographies

Nurul Shahadahtul Afizah Asman, Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Nurul Shahadahtul Afizah Asman is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia. Her email is nurulshahadahtul@ums.edu.my

Abdul Karim Mirasa, University Malaysia Sabah

Prof. Ir. Dr. Abdul Karim Mirasa is currently a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia. His email is akmirasa@ums.edu.my

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Published

2023-11-01

How to Cite

Asman, N. S. A. ., Bolong, N., & Mirasa, A. K. . (2023). ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT EVALUATION ON INTERLOCKING COMPRESSED EARTH BRICK USING LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT. GEOMATE Journal, 25(111), 9–15. Retrieved from https://geomatejournal.com/geomate/article/view/3525

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