CONSIDERATION OF CARBONATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS (EPDS) FOR CONCRETE PRODUCED IN GERMANY

Author(s): J. Reiners, Ch. Müller
Paper category: Proceedings
Book title: CO2STO2019 - International Workshop CO2 Storage in Concrete
Editor(s): Assia Djerbi, Othman Omikrine-Metalssi, Teddy Fen-Chong
ISBN:
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-232-9
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 2019
Pages: 68-72
Total Pages: 05
Language : English

Abstract: Already in 2008, ECRA, the European Cement Research Academy, carried out a first literature
review [1] on the quantification of the CO2 bound by the carbonation of cement-based
materials. The report concludes that approximately 20 to 25 % of the CO2 emissions from
calcination and from the incineration of fossil fuels in cement production can be rebound by
the carbonation of concrete during its life cycle.
The study "Substantial global carbon uptake by cement carbonation“ [2] which was published
in 2016 in "nature geoscience“, follows a more "global“ approach and estimates that 43% of
the CO2 emissions of the production of cement from 1930 to 2013 were sequestered by
cement-based materials during these years. It should be noted that the 43% mentioned in [2]
refer only to the CO2 from calcination, whereas the CO2 emissions from the incineration of
fossil fuels were also taken into account in [1]. If this difference is considered, the order of
magnitude of the assumed carbon uptake in both studies is comparable.
The product category rules (PCR) provided in EN 16757:2017 [3] summarise the rules to carry
out life cycle assessment (LCA) for concrete and concrete elements. In its Annex BB, the
standard gives guidance on how to calculate the CO2-uptake in the use phase and at the end
of life of concrete. Besides considering the ECRA study, further studies, particularly from
Scandinavia, were evaluated when drafting this Annex.
In 2018, six Environmental Product Declarations for average German concretes with different
strength classes were published by the German associations for ready mix and precast con-
crete. The LCA representing the basis of the EPDs was carried out by the VDZ applying the
rules of EN 16757:2017 for carbonation. Using the example of these EPDs, the influence of
carbonation on the total life cycle impacts of concrete and concrete products is presented.

Online publication : 2019
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros) : 0.00