Comparative life cycle assessment of various pipe materials

In comparison to other materials such as vitrified clay, plastic and cast iron, the production of concrete and reinforced-concrete pipes requires the lowest energy input whilst generating the lowest CO2 emissions.

1. Introduction

Many industrial products are increasingly assessed on the basis of their carbon dioxide emissions. For sewer construction, pipelines consisting of various base materials such as vitrified play, concrete and plastics are produced, which puts an emphasis on the debate over energy consumption and related CO2 emissions. Cumulative assessments are a useful tool to evaluate these materials with respect to their energy consumption and environmental impact. This method considers both the extraction of resources from the earth, i.e. the provision of all energy sources, and the...

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