Research Article Open Access

A PROCESS ANALYSIS ASSOCIATED WITH PRODUCTION OF FLOOR SYSTEMS FOR THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Abstract

The built environment consumes space and natural resources. Natural resources such as sand aggregate are extracted from quarries. These materials are then hauled long distances exerting pressure on transportation systems not to mention harmful emissions from transport equipment. The goal of this study is to determine environmental impacts due to raw materials procurement, fabrication, and installation processes associated with the construction of different floor types. The larger scope of the original study covers comparison of environmental effects due to construction of hypothetical Hollow-Core and Composite Steel Deck floor Systems by conducting a “cradle to gate” Life Cycle Assessment. A hybrid approach, as presented in the methodology, is used to perform the LCA in which Economic Input/output (EIO) and Process-based LCA models are applied to identify impacts of the process. The goal of this paper however, is to demonstrate the process of our methodology associated with extraction and production of the two floor systems

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