CO2 balancing and optimization of bridge structures
Brief description
Construction processes consume a large proportion of available resources and emit immense amounts ofCO2. In Germany, the production and use of buildings and structures accounts for almost 40% of total energy requirements and around 1/3 ofCO2 emissions. A large part of the public construction volume comprises infrastructure measures, whereby bridge constructions are particularly noteworthy with regard to theCO2 balance.
However, there is currently a lack of knowledge or calculation methods on the part of both the client and the planning offices or building contractors as to how muchCO2 is required for the construction and maintenance of the structure.
As part of the research project applied for here, an overview of typical bridge structures, such as those that will be built in Schleswig-Holstein in the future, is to be created:
- ComprehensiveCO2 balances will be used to create an overview or transparency and empirical values on theCO2 consumption of typical bridge structures;
- the main factors influencing the highCO2 demand are extracted based on theCO2 balances;
- concrete measures are developed to reduce theCO2 requirements of a bridge structure by around 20 - 25 % in the most cost-neutral way possible.
If the recommendations developed as part of this project (with aCO2 saving of approx. 20 - 25 %) were only applied to 30 % of the new bridge structures to be built, this would lead to a reduction in annualCO2 expenditure of approx. 2,000 tons/year in Schleswig-Holstein over the next 20 years.