Abstract
Abstract:
The objective of the paper is to provide an understanding of the South African concrete
industry’s environmental burden in terms of natural resource consumption and carbon dioxide
equivalent emissions (CO2-e). The review covers current practices in the concrete construction
field in South Africa (SA) and their implications for the environment. Elaboration in terms
of detail and quantification is given for the environmental burden generated during the
manufacture of raw materials for concrete and their transportation to site. Four-year average
(2005–2008) data is provided for resources consumed and wastes emitted during the quarrying
and manufacture of raw materials for concrete. Carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions data per
unit of material produced was obtained from the InEnergy Report produced for the Cement
and Concrete Institute (C&CI) of South Africa. The study determined that, on average, 39.7 Mt of
raw materials are consumed per year and 4.92 x 109 kg CO2-e emissions are emitted per year to
produce cement and aggregates for concrete production in South Africa.