Carbon Emission and Carbon Sequestration of Residential Building

Abstract

Globally, urbanization has resulted in a significant increase in the construction industry, particularly in the housing sector. The construction industry releases a significant amount of carbon to the atmosphere in the form of CO2. The primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions during the building stage are construction materials and operations. This study intends to estimate the carbon emissions of a residential building and take some strategic techniques for carbon sequestration in the context of Bangladesh. At first, the work has been carried out by collecting data from a residential building design which is situated in Dhaka. The study project is a six-storied residential building with a floor area of 2530 ft2 (235 m2) and structural members are used four most common materials, i.e. brick, cement, sand and steel. The CO2 emissions were first estimated after evaluating the study project's specifications and detailed design information, and then the carbon emission factors were presented by major phases such as cradle to gate, transportation of raw materials to site, and building construction. Operational and demolition stages cannot be considered in this study. The free space of the building is covered by trees which mitigate the maximum amount of CO2. The results of the study indicate that residential buildings emit 30.0 kg of CO2 per square foot. By adopting a carbon reduction strategy by vegetation, 3.15 kg per square feet of carbon will be consumed within 48 years. Again, this strategy ensures a sustainable environment with the help of reduction in CO2 as well as global warming.