A comparative analysis of the carbon footprint in green building materials: a case study of Norway

This paper critically examines the carbon cycle and environmental impacts associated with building materials, encompassing diverse impact categories for both midpoint and endpoint scenarios. The research encompasses a comparative analysis of five distinct scenarios, contrasting the environmental performance of green against conventional counterparts. Notably, previous research endeavors did not investigate the effects of varying percentages with and without phase change materials (PCM). The primary objective is to assess the impact of integrating phase change materials (PCM) with varying percentages of fly ash (20% and 35%) on energy consumption and carbon emissions, particularly in cold climates like Norway. The study employs the ReCiPe2016 Midpoint (E) method, which offers a robust life cycle assessment (LCA) framework aligned with European standards, making it particularly suitable for this context. Energy Plus, within the Design Builder software, was used to simulate and calculate the impact of PCM on energy efficiency. The findings underscore those environmental impacts attributed to green buildings amount to 9.79 × 104 kg of CO2 equivalent, while conventional buildings account for 1.04 × 105 kg of CO2 equivalent. Furthermore, among the cases studied, the optimal scenario pertains to a green building utilizing 35% wind ash cement and PCM, resulting in the equivalent of 9.68 × 104 kg of CO2 emissions. Remarkably, the best-case scenario involves a green building boasting a robust steel interior structure and aluminum windows, whereas the worst-case scenario entails a typical building devoid of PCM implementation. Furthermore, energy consumption analysis indicates that scenario 5, which utilizes PCM and 35% fly ash, achieves a 15% reduction in cooling energy and a 6.9% reduction in heating energy compared to scenario 3, resulting in an annual energy consumption of 97,453.09 kWh.