Decarbonizing the Construction Sector: Strategies and Case Study on Biobased Building Materials
The buildings and construction sector emits the most greenhouse gases, at 37% of global emissions. While operational emissions have decreased through heating, cooling, and lighting improvements, embodied carbon from cement, steel, and aluminum remains challenging. Sustainable building practices are crucial to balance economic contributions with ecological preservation, ensuring a sustainable future.
Decarbonizing the Construction Sector
Operational emissions comprise 75% of the sector’s total emissions and are projected to decrease to 50% in the coming decades due to energy efficiency improvements and sustainable building practices. However, more attention is needed to reduce embodied carbon emissions from the production, transport, and installation of building materials.
A comprehensive approach involving all stakeholders in the building lifecycle is crucial to address these emissions. Three key strategies can help decarbonize building materials:
- Avoid Unnecessary Extraction and Production: Reduce demand for new materials through efficient design and construction practices and by optimizing the use of existing materials.
- Shift to Regenerative Materials: Use materials with a lower environmental impact that can regenerate naturally, such as timber and other bio-based materials, which often have a lower carbon footprint and sequester carbon over their lifecycle.
- Improve Decarbonization of Conventional Materials: Enhance the production processes of cement, steel, and aluminum to make them more sustainable, including investing in technologies that reduce carbon emissions during manufacturing and incorporating recycled content.
Implementing these strategies can lead to a greener and more sustainable built environment. Significant progress can be made towards global climate goals by reducing unnecessary extraction, shifting to regenerative materials, and improving the decarbonization of conventional materials.
Case Study: Western North Brabant’s Biobased Building Blocks Initiative
In Western North Brabant, Netherlands, eleven partners, led by TNO, are collaborating on the B4 project (Better Biobased Building Blocks) to develop green building materials from local vegetable waste streams over the next three years. This initiative transforms grass into glue, sugar beet pulp into paint, and wood chips into insulation foam. These biobased building blocks enhance sustainability and improve product features such as scratch resistance, flame retardancy, and UV resistance.
The B4 project involves experts from the chemical and construction industries, students, and government officials to share knowledge and drive the transition to biobased raw materials. The project aims to produce sustainable products like paint, construction boards, and adhesives by extracting biobased building blocks from plant residues. This initiative focuses on replacing fossil-based aromatics with biobased alternatives in coatings, composites, acrylics, and epoxy resins, which are both environmentally friendly and commercially viable.
The Green Chemistry Campus in Bergen op Zoom, home to the Shared Research Center Biorizon, is the project’s hub. The campus organizes meetings and workshops to educate stakeholders, including SMEs, students, chemical industry employees, and government officials, about the benefits and opportunities of biobased materials.
With a budget of €4.4 million, co-financed by the European Union’s Just Transition Fund, the Dutch Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Social Affairs and Employment, and the Province of North Brabant, the B4 project aims to position Western North Brabant as a leader in biobased building materials. This initiative offers sustainable economic prospects and job creation in the chemical industry, making the region a key player in transitioning to a climate-neutral economy.
Conclusion
Addressing both operational and embodied carbon emissions is crucial for the construction sector to align with environmental goals. Achieving net-zero emissions is challenging but possible with international collaboration. Stakeholders must work together to reduce the carbon footprint through innovative cooperation and a shared commitment to sustainability.
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