presentation by Kadam Lokesh for the University of Geneva

1. Dr Kadam Lokesh
Institute for Transport Studies
University of Leeds
Employing Life Cycle Assessment in the
Transport Sector
Describing and Comparing LCAs for different
products/ sectors
University of Geneva
7th Dec 2020

2. Why the Transport sector?
Source: European Environmental Agency, 2020
Figure 1: EU Sectoral GHG emissions performance 1990-2018

3. Embodied Emissions Analysis – Road construction
Planning and
design
Material
procurement
Construction Use of road
Maintenance
and operation
Road
Decommissioning
or reconstruction
Traffic and
congestionEmbedded emissions Embedded emissions
Waste management
(linear/ circular)
Waste management
(linear/ circular)
Landfill disposal
Landfill disposal
Embedded emissions
*Uncommon
Figure 2: Life Cycle stages of a road construction project

4. Establishing the scope of analysis
1. Establishing the purpose of this construction: Aimed at reducing congestion
and subsequently fuel consumption of vehicles on the motorway (cars, vans,
HGVs and motorcycles)
2. Establishing the functional unit of study: 1 km stretch of a highway road
3. Establishing the temporal boundary: Road’s service life = 50 years
4. Establishing spatial boundary: depending on the nature of the study – a
standardised study or spatially-explicit;

5. Life Stages for in a highway road development
Planning and
design
Material
procurement
Construction Use of road
Maintenance
and operation
Road
Decommissioning
or reconstruction
Traffic and
congestionEmbedded emissions Embedded emissions
Waste management
(linear/ circular)
Waste management
(linear/ circular)
Landfill disposal
Landfill disposal
Embedded emissions
*Uncommon

6. Phase 2- Procurement of materials
Construction
material
• Aggregates
• Asphalt
• Concrete
• Steel/iron
• Aluminium
• Reinforced concrete
• Binder
• ……and others
Bill of material (general)
Figure 3: Life Cycle stages in the production and consumption of materials

7. Setting the Boundary – Cradle to Cradle
• Land use
• GHG emissions and GWP
• Respiratory inorganics and
particulates
• Biodiversity loss
• Terrestrial Eutrophication
• Abiotic resource depletion – fuel
• Abiotic resource depletion – Elements
Environmental impacts
Figure 4: Representation of a “cradle-cradle” LCA

8. Setting the Boundary – Cradle to Grave
Figure 5: Representation of a “cradle-grave” LCA

9. Setting the Boundary – Cradle to Gate
Figure 6: Representation of a “cradle-gate” LCA

10. Phase 3- Road construction
Source: www.cemex.co.ukFigure 7: Cross section and composition of a road structure
Construction

11. Phase 3 - Road Construction
Construction
Earthmoving
Rough Grading
Finish Grading
Compaction
Asphalt Paving and Rolling!
• Land use
• GHG emissions and GWP
• Respiratory inorganics and particulates
• Biodiversity loss
• Displacement impacts (Social)
• Terrestrial Eutrophication
• Abiotic resource depletion – fuel
• Abiotic resource depletion – Elements
Environmental impacts
………..In accordance to EN15804

12. Material procurement and construction- GHG impacts
Materials
(not exhaustive)
% contribution to total
emissions
(Noland and Hanson, 2015)
Primary
production
Closed loop/ Re-
used resources
Units
GHG emissions per tonne
(UK Government, GHG conversion factors, 2020)
Asphalt 60% 39.21 1.74 kgCO2eq
Mixed (types of aggregates
and reinforced concrete)
15% 7.79 2.21 kgCO2eq
Concrete 9% 131.79 - kgCO2eq
Steel/Iron 6.50% 4302.56 - kgCO2eq
Reinforced concrete 4% 131.79 - kgCO2eq
Other (Chippings, curing
agent, joint fillers etc)
5% - - kgCO2eq
Soils - - 1.01 kgCO2eq
*Emissions factors take into account their production and transportation emissions. Suggested factors may vary depending on the source and destination
of these materials

13. Phases 4 and 5: Road use and Maintenance
Figure 8: Sources of particulates and emissions from road use and maintenance
Area most focussed
!
Environmental impacts
• Global Warming Potential
• Particulate matter and VOCs
• Terrestrial and groundwater
Eutrophication
• Acidification of soil and water
• Abiotic resource depletion – fuel
• Abiotic resource depletion – Elements
Road use
Maintenance
and operation
Dust and other particulates
Volatile organic compounds (as sprays)
Exhausts (CO2, CO, Nox and Sox)
Salts leaching
Tyre and road surface wear
Dirt and waste
RUN-OFFS into
streams RUN-OFF into ground
water
Bitumen +Gravel particles
Tyre wear
Road marking
Chips and gritting particles
Material use – Road use and Maintenance
Road markings
Electric and electronic signage (and their replacement)
Gritting salt
Road divider maintenance materials
Energy supply and fuel use for transportation

14. Phases 4 and 5: Road use and Maintenance
Emissions from traffic loads were far greater (more than 100%),
compared to material and construction related emissions (EUPave,
2011). Besides this, some of the main sources of impacts drawn from
factors that are linked to direct fuel consumption include
• Rolling resistance – influenced by the road pavement structure and
roughness
• Congestion – traffic volumes, peak and off-peak hours, fleet
composition
• Timed Maintenance regimes – requiring closure of lanes and traffic
management

15. Inventories with relevant product related resources
1. European Environment Agency- Emission Factor Database : Selected emission factors
and abatement efficiencies in the EMEP/EEA Guidebook 2019:
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/emep-eea-guidebook-2019/emission-factors-
database
2. The International EPD system, “EPD Search - The International EPD® System”, Database,
2020. https://www.environdec.com/Detail/?Epd=13378.
2. US-EPAs The Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Volume 1: Stationary Point
and Area Sources: https://www3.epa.gov/ttnchie1/ap42/
Modelling Platforms – some examples
Useful resources

16. Industrial Significance for Transport-related emission
reduction
GREEN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT SELECTION CRITERIA
According to the European Commission…
“It is a process whereby public authorities seek to procure goods, services and works with a reduced
environmental impact throughout their life cycle when compared to goods, services and works with the same
primary function that would otherwise be procured”
European Commission’s “Green Public Procurement Criteria for Road Design,
Construction and Maintenance”, 2016.
-Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure - Adopted
-Italian Ministry of Environment – In progress
Construction Use
Material Choice Rolling resistance
Material Production Congestion
Material Transportation Drainage
Earthwork and Groundworks Noise

17. Key Challenges
Implementing sustainability in design, planning and construction is a major
challenge and these factors contribute to it the most
DEMAND– Central government is the biggest major supplier of construction contracts. But there is a lack of regulatory
mandate on prioritising bids that support resource efficient and innovative low-impact construction proposals
SUPPLY – Construction industry is highly fragmented with 99% made of SMEs of varying standards and compliances.
Lack of skilled workforce and, from a product’s perspective, the life cycle impacts of using reclaimed aggregates or
other materials isn’t transparent enough. Material-tracing can help ..!!
COST – The UK’s Government Construction Strategy or 2011-2015 and 2016-2020 were focussed on economic
efficiency than resource efficiency. This has to change.
NON-DISCLOSURE CONCERNS – The supplying faction of the construction sectors maintains its competitive edge
through innovation in tech and engineering practices. Transparency in this sector is currently segmented which hinders
traceability and monitoring by third party regulatory authorities.

18. Thank you!
E-Mail: k.lokesh@leeds.ac.uk
Twitter: @N8Decarbo
Web: Decarbon8.org.uk