The Embodied Carbon Analysis of a Nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) MgOSIPs House in the UK



Al Derbi, B and Finnegan, S ORCID: 0000-0003-4003-0872
(2020) The Embodied Carbon Analysis of a Nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) MgOSIPs House in the UK. , 2020-9-1 - 2020-9-3, SB-4: Sustainable Buildings.

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Abstract

The construction industry is changing rapidly where sustainability has become the key word, driving all innovations. Every new material is graded for its environmental impact and the most commonly used technique for this is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This paper attempts to look at the LCA of a specific Magnesium Oxide Structural Insulated Panel (MgO SIP) used for a home in North England - the focus is on embodied CO2 and not operational CO2. The LCA compares the environmental impact across six indicators - Global warming, Acidification, Eutrophication, Formation of ozone, Depletion of Ozone and Primary energy. This is right across the life cycle phases of raw material extraction, manufacturing, on-site construction, transportation, use and end of life/disposal. The result showed that this specific MgO SIP does not score higher than the conventional SIPs as it is manufactured in China and assembled in UK thus nullifying the sustainable impact. In fact, these MgO panels present negative environmental impact. However these MgO SIPs can score over the conventional SIPs and emerge environmentally friendlier if these MgO SIPs are manufactured domestically. Although this is a context-driven conclusion, the paper does highlight the potential of this MgO SIP for attaining the nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) objective set by UK.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Unspecified)
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 10 Mar 2021 09:51
Last Modified: 04 Mar 2024 12:35
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3116924