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Carbon footprint over life cycle (kg CO2e / kg product) for industrial bamboo products manufactured using different production technologies (SWB = Strand Woven Bamboo).
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This report gives a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint analysis on a selection of industrial bamboo products. The LCA is made for cradle-to-gate, plus the end-of-life stages of the bamboo products. For end-of-life it is assumed that 90% of the bamboo products are incinerated in an electrical power plant, and 10% will end-up in landfil...
Citations
... Like steel rebar, bamboo can withstand tensile and compressive loads that other materials cannot. Bamboo has a life cycle carbon footprint (CO 2 e/m 3 ) of − 613 compared to 14429 for steel (Vogtlander and van der Lugt, 2015). Steel has a significantly higher carbon footprint than bamboo: 2.2-2.8 ...
... In Table 3, an approximate value for the EC per casting of each formwork is given regarding various sources (Beya 2021;Lugt and Vogtlander 2015;Smedley and Building Transparency 2021) and an approximate volume of the material used for each form. It should be noted that the negative embodied carbon of the bamboo form assumes that the bamboo is sustainably farmed, resulting in a negative carbon emission due to carbon sequestration over its lifespan. ...
... All processes used are reported in Appendix A, Table A1 for the BAU and Table A2 for the ZCB scenario. The processes related to the innovative materials used in ZCB configuration, namely the laminated bamboo used as external cladding, the low-emission concrete, and the low-carbon stabilized earthen wattle used for the external pavement of the park [67] are specifically modeled in SimaPro or obtained from EPDs or other sources, as in the case of the bamboo façade, for which LCI data are taken from INBAR [68]. ...
... Specifically, for storage calculations in wood-based and bamboo products, a carbon content of 50% of the dry biomass was assumed, with 20% moisture content for structural components and interior finishes, 25% for exterior finishes, and 10% for insulation fibers. All in-place densities were assumed from the values reported in the ecoinvent 3.8 database, EPDs, and INBAR report [68]. ...
The decarbonization of the built environment, both in new construction and renovation, is crucial to mitigate its relevant impact on climate change and achieve the Paris Agreement goals. This study presents a systematic LCA-based methodology to assess the whole-life carbon emissions of buildings, applied to a proposal for the regeneration of one of Milan, Italy’s, disused railway yards. As an entry for the 2020 Reinventing Cities competition, Scalo Lambrate is a project for a mainly residential neighborhood with a public park. Strategies to reduce carbon emissions deriving both from the operational energy and construction and maintenance were evaluated and their effects compared to a reference scenario over a time horizon of 100 years. The results show that, while the opportunities to reduce carbon emissions during the use phase are somehow limited due to the already stringent performance requirements for new builds, the use of fast-growing biogenic materials for construction materials, even if mixed with more traditional ones, can provide a significant reduction in the global warming potential over the whole life cycle, with a reduction of 70% compared to the baseline. The remaining emissions can be offset with afforestation initiatives, which, however, must be assessed against land use issues.
... Debido al impacto ambiental y particularmente a la huella de carbono que causan ambos materiales, es necesario elegir entre el acero y la caña, dado que la energía almacenada en el acero de medio carbono se sitúa entre los 29 y 35 MJ/kg, mientras que en las cañas de bambú oscila aproximadamente entre los 4 y 6 MJ/kg. También, la huella de carbono vinculada al acero es considerablemente superior a la del bambú, se estima en 2,2-2,8 kgCO2/kg de material para el acero de medio carbono (Ashby et al, 2013), en contraste con aproximadamente 0,25 kgCO2/kg para el bambú (Lugt & Vogtlander, 2015). Dado que el acero requiere de un proceso de fabricación que implica la extracción de hierro y de energía para convertirlo en acero, provocando emisiones significativas de gases de efecto invernadero, la opción de utilizar caña, conocida por ser un recurso renovable, se convierte en una opción ecológica. ...
El objetivo principal de esta investigación fue analizar el potencial de la caña Guadúa angustifolia Kunth (GaK), como una alternativa viable para reforzar vigas de hormigón. A través del ensayo a flexión, se evaluó el comportamiento estructural de las dos vigas que fueron reforzadas con GaK, las cuales de aquí en adelante serán mencionadas como “vigas de hormigón reforzadas con GaK”, comparándolas con vigas de hormigón con un refuerzo de cuantía máxima de acero según el ACI 318-14, las cuales de aquí en adelante serán mencionadas como “vigas de referencia”. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron que las vigas de hormigón reforzadas con GaK tuvieron una capacidad de carga ligeramente superior a las vigas de referencia, debido al porcentaje de refuerzo utilizado en las mismas. No obstante, respecto a los desplazamientos cabe destacar que las vigas reforzadas con GaK no presentaron un óptimo comportamiento estructural ya que tuvieron mayores desplazamientos que las vigas de referencia, atribuible al bajo módulo de elasticidad de la caña comparándolo con el acero. En lo que respecta a la medición de desplazamientos, se realizó un análisis comparativo entre el sistema de medición por imagen conocido como fotogrametría y por el transductor de desplazamiento lineal variable (LVDT), obteniendo resultados consistentes y similares entre ambos métodos, lo que destaca la confiabilidad de los resultados obtenidos en los ensayos realizados para esta investigación.
... All processes used are reported in Appendix A, Table A1 for BAU and Table A2 for ZCB scenario. The processes related to the innovative materials used in ZCB configuration, namely the laminated bamboo used as external cladding, the low-emission concrete, and the low-carbon stabilized earthen wattle used for external pavement of the park, are not included in the ecoinvent database; therefore, these were specifically modeled in SimaPro or obtained from EPDs or other sources, as in the case of the bamboo façade for which the reference was taken from INBAR [51]. ...
... Specifically, for storage calculations in wood-based and bamboo products, a carbon content of 50%of the dry biomass was assumed, with 20% moisture content for structural components and interior finishes, 25% for exterior finishes, and 10% for insulation fibers. All in-place densities were assumed from the values reported in ecoinvent 3.8 database, EPDs, and INBAR report [51]. ...
The decarbonization of the built environment, both in new construction and renovation, is crucial to mitigate its relevant impact on climate change and achieve the Paris agreement goals. This study presents a systematic LCA-based methodology to assess the whole life carbon emissions of buildings, applied to a proposal for the regeneration of one of Milan’s disused railway yards. As an entry for the 2020 Reinventing Cities competition, Scalo Lambrate is a project for a mainly residential neighborhood with a public park. Strategies to reduce carbon emissions deriving both from the operational energy and construction and maintenance were evaluated and their effects compared to a reference scenario over a time horizon of 100 years. The results show that, while the opportunities to reduce carbon emissions during the use phase are somehow limited due to the already stringent performance requirements for new builds, the use of fast-growing biogenic materials for construction materials, even if mixed with more traditional ones, can provide a significant reduction of the global warming potential over the whole life cycle, with a reduction of 70% over the baseline. The remaining emissions can be offset with afforestation initiatives that, however, must be assessed against land use issues.
... The global flows approach, formulated by Vogtlander et al., has been adapted to bamboo in select instances [28]. Lugt and Vogtlander examined the environmental impact of industrial moso bamboo products within China [32], while Phuong and Viet applied this methodology to engineered bamboo products in the Vietnamese market [33]. In both studies, the combination of carbon storage and the avoidance of emissions from substituting fossil fuels at the end-of-life stage contributed to net-negative global warming impacts for most of the products analysed. ...
The Philippines faces a significant shortage of affordable housing, and with the growing urgency brought by climate change, there is a pressing need for more sustainable and affordable building solutions. One promising option is cement bamboo frame buildings, which blend traditional bamboo building methods with modern materials. This approach is already being implemented in social housing projects in the Philippines. Dynamic lifecycle assessment (DLCA) calculations show that these bamboo buildings can effectively reduce overall CO2 emissions. Before a building’s end of life, biogenic effects offset approximately 43% of its total production emissions, while the temporary carbon storage afforded by these biogenic materials further reduces total emissions by 14%. In comparison to concrete brick buildings, bamboo constructions reduce emissions by 70%. Transforming an unmanaged bamboo plantation into a managed plantation can potentially triple the capacity for long-term CO2 storage in biogenic materials and further reduce net emissions by replacing concrete with bamboo as the main construction material. Thus, bamboo construction offers a potent, economically viable carbon offsetting strategy for social housing projects.
... Bamboo plays a pivotal role in mitigating the greenhouse effect and fostering rural development [2]. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J. Houz) is renowned for its rapid growth, robust regeneration capabilities, and significant potential for carbon sequestration [3,4]. Given its ecological significance and economic value, Moso bamboo has garnered considerable attention from the scientific community [5]. ...
The application of nitrogen fertilizer is crucial in the cultivation of bamboo forests, and comprehending the alterations in soil organic carbon (SOC) due to nitrogen application is essential for monitoring soil quality. Predicting the dynamics of soil carbon stock involves analyzing two components: particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC). This study aimed to investigate the impact of high nitrogen inputs on SOC stock in Moso bamboo forests located in southwestern China. The research focused on analyzing changes in soil chemical properties, SOC content, and its components (POC and MAOC), as well as microbial biomass in the surface layer (0–10 cm) under different nitrogen applications (0, 242, 484, and 726 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The results indicate that nitrogen application significantly reduced the SOC content, while concurrently causing a significant increase in POC content and a decrease in MAOC content within the Moso bamboo forest (p < 0.05). The HM treatment notably increased the NO3⁻-N content to 2.15 mg/kg and decreased the NH4⁺-N content to 11.29 mg/kg, although it did not significantly influence the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN). The LN and MN treatments significantly reduced the MBC and MBN contents (71.6% and 70.8%, 62.5% and 56.8%). Nitrogen application significantly increased the Na⁺ concentration, with a peak observed under the LN treatment (135.94 mg/kg, p < 0.05). The MN treatment significantly increased the concentrations of Fe³⁺ and Al³⁺ (p < 0.05), whereas nitrogen application did not significantly affect Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ concentration, and cation exchange capacity (p > 0.05). Correlation and redundancy analyses (RDAs) revealed that the increase in annual litterfall did not significantly correlate with the rise in POC, and changes in extractable cations were not significantly correlated with the decrease in MAOC. Soil nitrogen availability, MBC, and MBN were identified as the primary factors affecting POC and MAOC content. In conclusion, the application of nitrogen has a detrimental impact on the soil organic carbon (SOC) of Moso bamboo forests. Consequently, it is imperative to regulate fertilization levels in order to preserve soil quality when managing these forests. Our research offers a theoretical foundation for comprehending and forecasting alterations in soil carbon stocks within bamboo forest ecosystems, thereby bolstering the sustainable management of Moso bamboo forests.
... Building material carbon footprint over life cycle in CO 2 eq/m 3[24,25]. ...
In the quest for sustainable development and to address the challenges of urbanization, researchers are exploring alternative sources of materials for construction and bamboo has emerged as a promising alternative to steel reinforcement in concrete construction due to its impressive weight-to-strength ratio. The goal of the present work is to investigate the bond properties of three different corrugation patterns in surface-treated bamboo alongside non-corrugated and epoxy-treated bamboo samples through pull-out testing. Bamboo corrugation is advocated as an ingenious mechanism to foster a robust interlocking effect between bamboo and concrete, effectively bolstering cohesion and optimizing skin friction to amplify the overall bond strength significantly. The findings revealed significant improvements in bond strength for rectangular corrugation, V-notch corrugation, and trapezoidal corrugation patterns, with strength enhancements of 46%, 85%, and 81% respectively, compared to plain bamboo. Furthermore, a theoretical bond model was developed for each corrugation pattern, which has been successfully validated against the experimental results with a notable accuracy ranging from 78.7% to 95.6%. Finally, the theoretical model was suggested as a tool for estimating the bond between bamboo and concrete. These findings underscore the potential of using corrugated bamboo reinforcement as a sustainable solution for enhancing bond performance in concrete.
... The half-life of roundwood for paper products is 2 years 24 . Moso bamboo has a diameter of approximately 10-12 cm, is typically used as a timber material for flooring and construction 37,38 , and has a half-life of 10 years 39 . Clumping bamboo and smalldiameter bamboo are mainly used in the pulp and paper industry; therefore, we set the half-life of 2 years to match that of roundwood for paper products. ...
Harvested wood/bamboo products (HWP/HBP) constitute a large global carbon stock. However, the contribution of HBP to carbon stocks has been neglected in mixed wood and bamboo data, especially in China. Therefore, the production approach and the first-order decay method were used to estimate the spatiotemporal carbon stock change in HWP/HBP based on provincial production data from the China Forestry Statistical Yearbooks for 1987–2020. The results showed that China’s total carbon stocks of HWP and HBP were 328.7 teragram carbon (TgC) and 129.7 TgC between 1987 and 2020. Of this, the HWP carbon stock was mainly sourced from three provinces across the north and south: Guangxi (60.8 TgC), Heilongjiang (37.2 TgC), and Fujian (24.2 TgC), and HBP carbon stock was mainly sourced from three southern provinces: Fujian (33.4 TgC), Guangxi (20.3 TgC), and Zhejiang (13.7 TgC). The proportion of the HBP carbon stock in the total carbon stock increased from 20% in 2010 to 28% in 2020, indicating that bamboo products play an important role in the accumulation of carbon stocks in China. The differences in contributions to spatiotemporal trends between the provinces provide more specific information to make precise decisions about forest management and carbon sequestration.
... An increasing number of studies have explored the environmental impact and investigated the material function of bamboo and its applications in construction. Several life cycle assessments have found bamboo buildings to compare favorably with other options in terms of environmental impact (Lugt & Vogtlander, 2015;Salzer et al., 2017;Zea Escamilla & Habert, 2014). However, the social dimensions of bamboo building are less well understood. ...
Bamboo is a natural building material that grows widely across the tropics and subtropics. It has been used in traditional construction for millennia and is now used in a growing range of innovative bio-based building solutions. Citing bamboo's potential for carbon capture, promising physical properties and relative underdevelopment of the global bamboo industry, many projects and initiatives have been launched that aim to develop bamboo industries to support livelihood development. These projects use a wide range of implementation strategies. Using theory-based program evaluation based on the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, this paper focuses on three case studies from Costa Rica, Nigeria, and Indonesia. Each case study employs different strategies for research for social development and utilized the harvest, processing and manufacture of bamboo construction materials and products. First, a low-cost self-help construction project in Costa Rica is described. Next, a bamboo architecture community development project in Indonesia using participatory action research is analyzed. The final strategy uses community-based action research to develop bamboo-based prototypes of vertical greening systems in Nigeria. In each case study, bamboo is selected as an affordable and locally available material. The projects are evaluated using logic models and the core principles of the Framework. This paper demonstrates applications of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and other theory-based evaluation frameworks to analyze research-for-development and social projects.
