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Sustainability Assessment of U.S. Construction Sectors: Ecosystems Perspective

August 2012
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 138(8):918-922

DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000509

Authors:

Murat Kucukvar

Qatar University

Omer Tatari

University of Central Florida

The U.S. construction industry accounts for approximately 4% of the gross domestic product. Although quantifying and analyzing the cumulative ecological resource consumption of the construction industry is of great importance, it has not been studied sufficiently. This paper aims to account for the total ecological resource consumption of the construction industry, including its supply chains. This analysis is achieved by using an ecologically based life-cycle assessment model. The impacts on the ecosystem were calculated on the basis of the economic data in terms of cumulative mass, energy, industrial exergy, and ecological exergy. U.S. construction sectors are holistically evaluated by using various sustainability metrics, such as resource intensity, efficiency ratio, and loading ratio. Total ecological exergy values were generally found to be larger for the sectors with higher economic output values. Heavy construction industry sectors, including construction and maintenance of highways, bridges, or pipelines, were generally found to use fewer renewable resources and to have higher emission intensity. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000509. (C) 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Relative contribution of major ecological goods and services

…

. U.S. Construction Sectors and Their Total Industry Output

…

Emission and CO 2 intensity of construction sectors (kg ∕ $ )

…

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Content uploaded by Omer Tatari

Content may be subject to copyright.

Sustainability Assessment of U.S. Construction Sectors:

Ecosystems Perspective

Omer Tatari1and Murat Kucukvar2

Abstract: The U.S. construction industry accounts for approximately 4% of the gross domestic product. Although quantifying and analyzing

the cumulative ecological resource consumption of the construction industry is of great importance, it has not been studied sufficiently. This

paper aims to account for the total ecological resource consumption of the construction industry, including its supply chains. This analysis is

achieved by using an ecologically based life-cycle assessment model. The impacts on the ecosystem were calculated on the basis of

the economic data in terms of cumulative mass, energy, industrial exergy, and ecological exergy. U.S. construction sectors are holistically

evaluated by using various sustainability metrics, such as resource intensity, efficiency ratio, and loading ratio. Total ecological exergy values

were generally found to be larger for the sectors with higher economic output values. Heavy construction industry sectors, including

construction and maintenance of highways, bridges, or pipelines, were generally found to use fewer renewable resources and to have higher

CE Database subject headings: Sustainable development; Environmental issues; Construction industry; System analysis; Ecosystems;

United States.

Author keywords: Sustainable development; Environmental issues; Construction industry; System analysis.

Introduction

The U.S. construction industry accounts for approximately $578

billion (4.1%) of the gross domestic product [Bureau of Economic

Analysis (BEA) 2010b]. Buildings contribute 38.9% of U.S.

total carbon dioxide emissions (EPA 2009). Buildings and infra-

structure systems account for approximately 30% of the raw

materials used annually in the United States (Committee on

Advancing the Competitiveness and Productivity of the U.S.

Construction Industry 2009). However, the environmental impacts

of such a large industry have not been studied sufficiently on an

industry-wide level (Sharrard 2007). Although there have been

numerous studies on the environmental effects of the industry,

the focus has been mostly on pollution control, whereas the reduc-

tion of resource use is new on the agenda (Bringezu 2002).

As the construction industry has been building the civil infra-

structure, many renewable and nonrenewable ecological resources

were harvested, extracted, and productively used. An excessive use

of resources is critical for the ecosystem not only because of the

depletion of resources, but because of other concerns, such as

the destruction and long-term change of natural habitats and

distortions of the potable water supply (Bringezu 2002). Little

attention has been given to the impact of the built environment

on the ecosystem, including oceans, rivers, lakes, ecosystems, raw

materials, the air, the soil, and the land [National Research Council

(NRC) 2009]. Because of all stated reasons, quantifying and

analyzing the cumulative ecological resource consumption of the

construction industry is of great importance. This analysis needs

to include the upstream flows of the industry as well, or it will

be insufficient (Bringezu 2002).

The current study aims to account for the total ecological

resource consumption of the construction industry, including its

supply chains, and uses sustainability metrics to reach to better

insights regarding the impact of the industry on the ecosystem. This

study can be regarded as a continuation of the study that was

conducted by Hendrickson and Horvath (2000). In their study,

Hendrickson and Horvath quantified several resources, including

fuel, electricity, ore, and water, by utilizing an economic input/

output life-cycle assessment model (EIO-LCA). On the other hand,

this study accounts not only for these resources, but it also includes

ecological goods and services, such as forest, land, biogeochemical

cycles, rain, and wind. This analysis is achieved by using an

ecologically based life-cycle assessment model (Eco-LCA); a

thermodynamic-based economic input/output life-cycle assessment

approach. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: First, the

method used in the paper is explained. Next, analysis results of U.S.

construction sectors are presented. Finally, discussion is presented,

the findings are summarized, and the limitations are pointed out.

Method

The Eco-LCA model is utilized to analyze U.S. construction sectors

because of its ability to quantify the ecological goods and services

described in Millenium Ecosystem Assessment framework

(Alcamo et al. 2003). The Eco-LCA environmental assessment tool

extends the system boundary to include not only the national

economy used in EIO-LCA but also ecological goods and services.

The Eco-LCA model uses the same economic input/output data as

EIO-LCA. It utilizes a thermodynamic input/output analysis

approach to account for the contribution of natural capital (Ukidwe

and Bakshi 2007). The Eco-LCA model mainly focuses on the con-

sumption of ecosystem goods and services, and it has the capability

1LEED AP, Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering Dept., Ohio Univ.,

Athens, OH 45701 (corresponding author). E-mail: tatari@ohio.edu

2Graduate Research Assistant, Civil Engineering Dept., Ohio Univ.,

Athens, OH 45701.

Note. This manuscript was submitted on September 29, 2010; approved

on November 3, 2011; published online on July 16, 2012. Discussion

period open until January 1, 2013; separate discussions must be submitted

for individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Construction

Engineering and Management, Vol. 138, No. 8, August 1, 2012. ©ASCE,

ISSN 0733-9364/2012/8-918–922/$25.00.

918 / JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT © ASCE / AUGUST 2012

J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 2012.138:918-922.

to aggregate the results on the basis of various levels such as mass,

energy, industrial exergy, and ecological exergy. These aggregation

levels provide further insight regarding the material and energy

intensity of the products being analyzed. It also provides the ability

to reach at different metrics that could be used for holistic assess-

ments. These aggregation metrics are as follows:

•Cumulative mass consumption (mass) signifies the total materi-

al consumption of a product, a metrics that has been utilized in

material flow analysis (Brunner and Rechberger 2004;Low

2005). In this method, only mass is taken into account.

•Cumulative energy consumption (energy) captures the total

energy consumed in the entire life cycle, a metric that has been

utilized in the net energy analysis (Bullard Peter and Clark

1978). Energy cannot account for materials and is calculated

in terms of J.

•Industrial cumulative exergy consumption (ICEC) expands the

system boundary by considering all industrial processes utilized

to convert natural resources into the desired product (Hau and

Bakshi 2004a). ICEC represents the exergy consumption within

the industrial and economic system only. ICEC is calculated in

terms of J.

•Ecological cumulative exergy consumption (ECEC) includes

the exergy consumed by ecological processes for raw material

production, emissions dissipation, and the functioning of indus-

trial processes (Hau and Bakshi 2004a). ECEC represents

exergy used in ecological services to support the industrial ac-

tivities. ECEC is calculated in terms of solar equivalent joules

(SEJ). ECEC considers the amount of exergy required by eco-

logical systems to make goods and services utilized by the

industrial system. To make this possible, the cumulative exergy

consumption of direct ecological inputs are calculated using

transformity values that were introduced by Odum for emergy

analysis (Hau and Bakshi 2004b;Odum 1996). In this case,

transformity refers to the available solar energy required to

make 1 J of a good or service and is measured in solar equivalent

joules per 1 J (SEJ∕J). Values for major ecological resources are

quantified by Odum (1996) and utilized by Hau and Bakshi

(2004a) in the Eco-LCA model by means of a systematic algo-

rithm utilizing network algebra.

Several sustainability metrics are utilized to gain more insights.

The ECEC/ICEC ratio, which is also known as the efficiency ratio,

reveals the magnitude of ecological links that are ignored by the

ICEC analysis. In addition, the loading ratio, defined as the ratio

of cumulative consumption of nonrenewable resources to those

from renewable resources, indicates the relative dependence of a

product on nonrenewable resources (Ukidwe and Bakshi 2007).

These ratios are important indicators in understanding the degree

of dependence on renewable and nonrenewable resources for each

pavement design.

Analysis of U.S. Construction Sectors

The economic output values of each U.S. construction sector were

obtained from the U.S. Department of Commerce input/output

table (BEA 2010a). Table 1lists 13 construction sectors along with

their North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)

codes and their 1997 economic outputs. The Eco-LCA online

model was used to identify the cumulative resource consumption

of U.S. construction sectors utilizing mass, energy, ICEC, and

ECEC. In this section, the analysis results are presented.

Cumulative Resource Consumption

According to the results of the study, RES1 was found to have high-

est resource consumption in terms of all units (see Table 2). Sectors

such as COMM and HWYT showed high resource utilization in

comparison with other construction sectors. Sectors with the lowest

Table 1. U.S. Construction Sectors and Their Total Industry Output

NAICS code Sector acronym Description

Total industry output

($ millions)

230110 RES1 New residential 1-unit structures, nonfarm 172,439

230120 MULT New multifamily housing structures, nonfarm 26,234

230130 RADD New residential additions and alterations, nonfarm 57,679

230140 FRMH New farm housing units and additions and alterations 5,429

230210 MANF Manufacturing and industrial buildings 27,487

230220 COMM Commercial and institutional buildings 190,818

230230 HWYT Highway, street, bridge, and tunnel construction 43,401

230240 WATP Water, sewer, and pipeline construction 17,207

230250 OTHR Other new construction 90,757

230310 MFRM Maintenance and repair of farm and nonfarm residential structures 36,384

230320 MNON Maintenance and repair of nonresidential buildings 56,012

230330 MHWY Maintenance and repair of highways, streets, bridges, and tunnels 12,411

230340 MOTR Other maintenance and repair construction 17,833

Table 2. Total Resource Consumption by Mass, Energy, Industrial Exergy,

and Ecological Exergy

Sector

acronym Mass (k) Energy (J) ICEC (J) ECEC (SEJ)

RES1 6:81E þ12 1:79E þ21 1:79E þ21 1:02E þ24

MULT 8:45E þ11 2:05E þ20 2:05E þ20 1:23E þ23

RADD 2:58E þ12 6:22E þ20 6:22E þ20 4:57E þ23

FRMH 2:12E þ11 5:87E þ19 5:87E þ19 4:21E þ22

MANF 7:33E þ11 6:96E þ19 6:96E þ19 9:95E þ22

COMM 5:35E þ12 9:99E þ20 9:99E þ20 4:76E þ23

HWYT 1:51E þ12 4:94E þ19 4:95E þ19 6:14E þ23

WATP 4:82E þ11 2:30E þ19 2:30E þ19 6:44E þ22

OTHR 2:27E þ12 2:00E þ20 2:00E þ20 2:22E þ23

MFRM 1:93E þ12 6:66E þ20 6:66E þ20 3:03E þ23

MNON 1:43E þ12 5:05E þ20 5:05E þ20 1:24E þ23

MHWY 4:98E þ11 3:01E þ19 3:01E þ19 2:35E þ23

MOTR 4:56E þ11 5:27E þ19 5:27E þ19 8:61E þ22

JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT © ASCE / AUGUST 2012 / 919

J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 2012.138:918-922.

ecological resource consumption were found to be FRMH and

WATP. Although the sector of COMM has the highest economic

output, sectors with lower economic output (RES1 and HWYT)

had higher ECEC values. This was the result of the fact that even

though some industrial sectors show high economic output, the

dominance of high-quality goods and services with lower trans-

formity values results in less ECEC. Also, the relative contributions

of the major ecological goods and services for construction sectors

were quantified (see Fig. 1).

Resource Intensity

HWYT and MHWY were found to have the highest amounts of

resource intensity, whereas COMM and MANF were found to have

the lowest amounts (see Table 3). The differences in resource

intensity could be attributed to the ecological resource intensity

difference of used resources such as iron, apatite, crushed stone,

and sand. Thus, even though the economic output of a sector

may not be the highest (such as MHWY), the high relative contri-

bution of resources that require substantial amounts of exergy

might make it the most resource intensive sector.

Sustainability Metrics

HWYT and MHWY were found to have the highest ECEC/ICEC

ratio. This result is because of the fact that these sectors a show

relatively higher dependency on nonrenewable resources, such

as crushed stone and sand, both of which require substantial exergy

to make them available in the ecological system. Sectors such as

MNON and COMM were found to have the lowest ECEC/ICEC

ratio because the relative contribution of high-transformity nonre-

newable resources was relatively lower. RES1 and COMM had

Fig. 1. Relative contribution of major ecological goods and services

Table 3. Resource Intensity by Mass, Energy, Industrial Exergy, and Ecological Exergy

Sector

acronym Mass (kg∕$) Energy (J∕$) ICEC (J∕$)

ECEC

(SEJ∕$)

ECEC/ICEC

ratio

RES1 3:95E þ01 1:04E þ10 1:04E þ10 5:92E þ12 5:69E þ02 18.15

MULT 3:22E þ01 7:80E þ09 7:80E þ09 4:69E þ12 6:02E þ02 16.94

RADD 4:47E þ01 1:08E þ10 1:08E þ10 7:92E þ12 7:35E þ02 23.93

FRMH 3:91E þ01 1:08E þ10 1:08E þ10 7:75E þ12 7:17E þ02 23.84

MANF 2:67E þ01 2:53E þ09 2:53E þ09 3:62E þ12 1:43E þ03 18.66

COMM 2:81E þ01 5:24E þ09 5:24E þ09 2:49E þ12 4:76E þ02 10.10

HWYT 3:48E þ01 1:14E þ09 1:14E þ09 1:42E þ13 1:24E þ04 84.89

WATP 2:80E þ01 1:34E þ09 1:34E þ09 3:74E þ12 2:79E þ03 21.34

OTHR 2:51E þ01 2:21E þ09 2:21E þ09 2:45E þ12 1:11E þ03 12.80

MFRM 5:31E þ01 1:83E þ10 1:83E þ10 8:32E þ12 4:54E þ02 18.17

MNON 2:56E þ01 9:02E þ09 9:02E þ09 2:21E þ12 2:45E þ02 13.42

MHWY 4:01E þ01 2:42E þ09 2:43E þ09 1:90E þ13 7:82E þ03 304.07

MOTR 2:56E þ01 2:95E þ09 2:96E þ09 4:83E þ12 1:63E þ03 76.81

920 / JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT © ASCE / AUGUST 2012

J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 2012.138:918-922.

moderate ECEC/ICEC ratios, even though they had the highest

economic output. Thus, the degree of nonrenewable resource con-

sumption was independent of the total economic transaction.

HWYT, MHWY, and WATP had the highest values of loading

ratios because nonrenewable resources such as nonmetallic miner-

als and fossil fuels were contributing highly to the resource con-

sumption of these sectors. Utilizing high-transformity resources

led to a lower renewability ratio for those construction sectors.

Emissions

Emission intensity, defined as the total emissions to money ratio,

measures the total emissions generated for $1 of economic output.

Fig. 2shows that emission intensity was not highest for the con-

struction sectors with the highest economic activity. For example,

the total CO2emissions for $1 economic output are highest for

HWYT, which is not a sector with the highest economic output.

Results of emission intensities showed clearly that heavy construc-

tion sectors HWYT and MHWY emitted more emissions per $1

economic activity.

Discussion and Conclusion

The paper presented important findings regarding the total resource

consumption and emissions of 13 U.S. construction sectors. Total

ECEC consumption values were generally found to be larger for the

sectors with higher economic output values. Because the type of

materials and energy resources are more or less the similar for many

construction sectors, industries with a high reliance on nonrenew-

able natural capital consumed higher ecological exergy for their

industrial activities. These construction sectors, presented higher

ECEC/ICEC and loading ratios.

Heavy construction industry sectors, including construction and

maintenance of highways, bridges, or pipelines, were generally

found to use fwer renewable resources. Even though the residential

sector is the most intensive sector in terms of the total industrial and

ecological resource consumption, it demonstrated a lower loading

ratio. This result might be related to the higher use of renewable

resources such as wood in building construction as opposed to

heavy construction. However, the emission intensity shows clearly

that heavy construction sectors emitted more emissions per $1 of

economic activity.

It should be noted that the ecological impacts associated with

each construction sector is not limited to the study findings.

Ecological impacts related to many activities, including road con-

struction and maintenance activities, the use phase of major infra-

structures and residential buildings, and the dispersed ecological

effects of air pollution emissios, should be considered, as well.

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Our infrastructure is aging, and yet we demand it to be functional for daily needs, resilient to unforeseen 13 events, and sustainable for future generations. This challenge emphasizes the need for us to accurately measure and 14 assess the state of our infrastructure to meet future demands while avoiding unwanted environmental consequences 15-what is truly meant by resilience or sustainability? However, existing assessment tools focus mainly on only the 16 functional aspects of environmental, social and economic performance for infrastructure, and often as separate 17 issues without comprehensively addressing the overall issues or changing demands. This paper presents a three-18 pronged framework focusing on the functionality-resiliency-sustainability aspects of infrastructure to assess its 19 overall sustainability. One of the stormwater systems in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has been used to illustrate how 20 the framework can be applied. This assessment framework is developed for the three domains of functionality, 21 resiliency, and sustainability based on three criteria: resource minimization, public health, and change management. 22 Thirty-three indicators are identified: nineteen for functionality, eight for resiliency and six for sustainability. A 23 detailed step-wise decision guide is presented to score the overall sustainability of the infrastructure. 24

A novel approach for developing composite eco-efficiency indicators: The case for US food consumption

Article

Mar 2021
J CLEAN PROD

Eco-efficiency analysis can provide useful information for sustainability benchmarking of products and sectors while assessing and monitoring their economic and environmental performances. The eco-efficiency is defined as a ratio between economic performance and environmental impact. With multiple environmental and economic metrics, the eco-efficiency assessment is computationally complex. One common aspect of this complexity is associated with the importance (a.k.a. relative weights) of sustainability indicators in the presence of high multicollinearity. A novel weighting method integrating two well-established methods for reducing the multicollinearity consequence during the aggregation process is presented in the study. The proposed method's mathematical and operational procedures, called Weighted Penalized Maximum Likelihood Estimation (W-PMLE), are demonstrated for the eco-efficiency analysis of U.S food consumption. The eco-efficiency analysis results revealed that the CO2 emissions, the level of consumption of the metallic mineral, and water were the most critical to the eco-efficiency performance of U.S. consumption.

Greening Construction Processes Using an Input-Output-Based Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment Model

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2007

Aurora L. Sharrard

Resource Use and Environmental Emissions of U.S. Construction Sectors

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2000
J CONSTR ENG M ASCE

Reducing the environmental effects of construction is a continuing professional and social concern to promote sustainable development. In this paper, we estimate the major commodity and service inputs, resource requirements, and environmental emissions and wastes for four major U.S. construction sectors as defined by the Department of Commerce: (1) highway, bridge, and other horizontal construction [0.6% of the 1992 U.S. gross domestic product (GDP)]; (2) industrial facilities and commercial and office buildings (1.5% of GDP); (3) residential one-unit buildings (1.9% of GDP); and (4) other construction (towers, water, sewer and irrigation systems, railroads, etc.) (2.4% of GDP). Our estimates include the entire supply chain of material, energy, and service suppliers for these sectors with the use of a detailed 1992 input-output model of the U.S. economy and publicly available environmental data. We find that in general, the four major U.S. construction sectors appear to use fewer resources and have lower rates of environmental emissions and wastes than their share of the GDP might suggest. Construction sector (1) Gross sales (millions of dollars, 1992) (2) Fraction of gross domestic product (%) (3) Highway, bridge, and other horizon-tal construction 33,596 0.6 Industrial facilities and commercial and office buildings 91,887 1.5 Residential one-unit buildings 115,450 1.9 Other construction (towers; water, sewer, and irrigation systems; railroads; power plants and power lines; flood control and marine construction; and so on) 142,393 2.4 [Total] 383,326 6.5 Source: ''Input-output'' (1997).

Industrial and ecological cumulative exergy consumption of the United States via the 1997 input–output benchmark model

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2007
ENERGY

This paper develops a thermodynamic input–output (TIO) model of the 1997 United States economy that accounts for the flow of cumulative exergy in the 488-sector benchmark economic input–output model in two different ways. Industrial cumulative exergy consumption (ICEC) captures the exergy of all natural resources consumed directly and indirectly by each economic sector, while ecological cumulative exergy consumption (ECEC) also accounts for the exergy consumed in ecological systems for producing each natural resource. Information about exergy consumed in nature is obtained from the thermodynamics of biogeochemical cycles. As used in this work, ECEC is analogous to the concept of emergy, but does not rely on any of its controversial claims. The TIO model can also account for emissions from each sector and their impact and the role of labor. The use of consistent exergetic units permits the combination of various streams to define aggregate metrics that may provide insight into aspects related to the impact of economic sectors on the environment. Accounting for the contribution of natural capital by ECEC has been claimed to permit better representation of the quality of ecosystem goods and services than ICEC. The results of this work are expected to permit evaluation of these claims. If validated, this work is expected to lay the foundation for thermodynamic life cycle assessment, particularly of emerging technologies and with limited information.

Net Energy Analysis: Handbook for Combining Process and Input-Output Analysis

Article

Full-text available

Feb 1978
Resour Energ

Methods are presented for calculating the energy required, directly and indirectly, to produce all types of goods and services. Procedures for combining process analysis with input-output analysis are described. This enables the analyst to focus data acquisition effects cost-effectively, and to achieve down to some minimum degree a specified accuracy in the results. The report presents sample calculations and provides the tables and charts needed to assess total energy requirements of any technology, including those for producing or conserving energy.

Net Energy Analysis

Article

Nov 1978
Resour Energ

Practical Handbook of Material Flow Analysis

Article

Sep 2004

The concept of a company, city, or region functioning as an anthrosphere, a living organism with metabolic processes, is now widely accepted among professionals within scientific, engineering, and materials management fields. While the traits of an anthroposphere are described throughout academia, until now there was no widely accepted methodology for applying these concepts. Practical Handbook of Material Flow Analysis establishes a rigid, transparent and useful methodology for investigating the material metabolism of anthropogenic systems. Using Material Flow Analysis (MFA), engineers and planners can determine the main sources, flows, stocks, and emissions of man-made and natural materials. By demonstrating the application of MFA, this book reveals how resources can be conserved and the environment protected within complex systems. The fourteen case studies presented exemplify the potential for MFA to contribute to sustainable materials management. Exercises throughout the book deepen comprehension and expertise. The authors have had success in applying MFA to various fields, and now promote the use of MFA in a uniform way so that future environmental engineers, resource managers, and urban planners have a common method in their toolboxes for solving resource-oriented problems.

Environmental Accounting--EMERGY and Environmental Decision Making

Book

Jan 1996

H T Odum

Promise and problems of emergy analysis

Article

Oct 2004
ECOL MODEL

Solar Emergy is the available solar energy used up directly and indirectly to make a service or product. Although this basic concept is quite straightforward, its implications are potentially profound. H.T. Odum pioneered the development and use of emergy, and presented it as a way of understanding the behavior of self-organized systems, valuing ecological goods and services, and jointly analyzing ecological and economic systems. Unfortunately, like many groundbreaking ideas, emergy has encountered a lot of resistance and criticism, particularly from economists, physicists, and engineers. Some critics have focused on detailed practical aspects of the approach, while others have taken issue with specific parts of the theory and claims. This paper discusses the main features and criticisms of emergy and provides insight into the relationship between emergy and concepts from engineering thermodynamics, such as exergy and cumulative exergy consumption. This reveals the close link between emergy and ecological cumulative exergy consumption, and indicates that most of the criticisms of emergy are either common to all holistic approaches that account for ecosystems and other macrosystems within their systems boundaries, or a result of misunderstandings derived from a lack of communication between various disciplines, or are not relevant for engineering applications. By identifying the main points of criticisms of emergy, this paper attempts to clarify many of the common misconceptions about emergy, inform the community of emergy practitioners about the aspects that need to be communicated better or improved, and suggest solutions. Further research and interaction with other disciplines is essential to bring one of H.T. Odum’s finest contributions into the mainstream to guide humanity on “the prosperous way down.”

Expanding Exergy Analysis to Account for Ecosystem Products and Services

Article

Aug 2004

Exergy analysis is a thermodynamic approach used for analyzing and improving the efficiency of chemical and thermal processes. It has also been extended for life cycle assessment and sustainability evaluation of industrial products and processes. Although these extensions recognize the importance of capital and labor inputs and environmental impact, most of them ignore the crucial role that ecosystems play in sustaining all industrial activity. Decisions based on approaches that take nature for granted continue to cause significant deterioration in the ability of ecosystems to provide goods and services that are essential for every human activity. Accounting for nature's contribution is also important for determining the impact and sustainablility of industrial activity. In contrast, emergy analysis, a thermodynamic method from systems ecology, does account for ecosystems, but has encountered a lot of resistance and criticism, particularly from economists, physicists, and engineers. This paper expands the engineering concept of Cumulative Exergy Consumption (CEC) analysis to include the contribution of ecosystems, which leads to the concept of Ecological Cumulative Exergy Consumption (ECEC). Practical challenges in computing ECEC for industrial processes are identified and a formal algorithm based on network algebra is proposed. ECEC is shown to be closely related to emergy, and both concepts become equivalent if the analysis boundary, allocation method, and approach for combining global energy inputs are identical. This insight permits combination of the best features of emergy and exergy analysis, and shows that most of the controversial aspects of emergy analysis need not hinder its use for including the exergetic contribution of ecosystems. Examples illustrate the approach and highlight the potential benefits of accounting for nature's contribution to industrial activity.

Greening construction processes using an input-output-based hybrid life cycle assessment model Industrial and ecological cumulative exergy consumption of the United States via the 1997 input-output benchmark model

Jan 2007
1560-1592

A N Sharrard
B Bakshi

Sharrard, A. (2007). " Greening construction processes using an input-output-based hybrid life cycle assessment model. " Ph.D. thesis, Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh. Ukidwe, N., and Bakshi, B. (2007). " Industrial and ecological cumulative exergy consumption of the United States via the 1997 input-output benchmark model. " Energy, 32(9), 1560–1592.