Energy, Material and Pollutant Intensity Analysis in the Life Cycle of Walling Materials

Abstract Within the framework of life cycle assessment (LCA), a 3F-based integrated approach is proposed in this article. The 3F, i.e., material flow, energy flow, and pollutant flow, is investigated with two kinds of walling materials. First, pollutant intensity analysis (PIA) was conducted in the LCA. Second, the relationship between material consumption and pollutant production was studied using material intensity analysis (MIA). Third, the relationship between energy consumption and pollutant load was investigated in terms of energy intensity analysis (EIA). The results show that both energy consumption and pollutant production of hollow concrete bricks are lower than those of solid clay blocks, as are those for material consumption. Significant reduction of energy consumption and pollutant production would be expected in China by replacing the traditional solid clay bricks with the hollow concrete blocks. The energy consumption of walling materials is closely related to its potential pollutant production. Furthermore, the substantial difference between the produced pollutants is primarily attributed to the different energy consumption for the two concerned walling materials. The LCA results were further discussed by sensitivity analysis together with a Monte Carlo simulation.