A Quantitative Method To The Assessment Of The Life Cycle Embodied Environmental Profile Of Building Materials

The embodied environmental profile of building materials is an important component during the life span of building.In this paper, based on the life cycle assessment methodology of ISO and SETAC, the life cycle assessment system of building materials is developed, which mainly includes embodied impact stage, operational stage and disposal stage. As far as embodied impact is concerned, it includes the direct environmental impact stemmed from such processes as extraction, transportation and production of building materials as well as the indirect environmental impact of energy production. By means of the life cycle impact assessment methods of EDIP, it is proposed that the life cycle assessment model of building materials in which the key environmental factors are selected, and the impact assessment process and methods are introduced. In the end, the results are indicated by the environmental impact burden and the resource consuming indicators.In terms of the life cycle assessment system and model, cement, steel, flat glass and PVC, consumed quantitatively in building sector, are selected to analyze and calculate their embodied environmental profile. The results of inventory analysis and impact assessment show that the potential environmental impact burden of cement, steel glass and PVC are 0.24, 194, 1.24, 13 respectively, and that the resource consuming indicator are 0.032, 0.64, 0.030, 0.030 per ton respectively.