EVALUATING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF DEEP FOUNDATIONS: A LIFE CYCLE APPROACH FOR SUSTAINABILITY-Paper

Paper

Pdf Summary

The study uses life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare four deep foundation systems for a 19-story residential building in Natal, Brazil: precast concrete piles (PCP), bored piles (BP), continuous flight auger piles (CFA), and steel H-section piles (SHP). The assessment follows Brazilian ISO standards and covers material production, transportation, and installation, using IPCC 2021 for greenhouse-gas emissions and ReCiPe 2016 for broader environmental impacts.<br /><br />PCP had the lowest greenhouse-gas emissions: 91,876 kg CO₂-eq, or 1.28 kg CO₂-eq per kN of building load. BP and CFA emitted 114,110 and 123,976 kg CO₂-eq, respectively, while SHP had the highest total emissions at 178,631 kg CO₂-eq, largely because of energy-intensive steel production. CFA was identified as the most economically viable option, illustrating that cost and environmental performance do not necessarily align.<br /><br />The broader assessment revealed important trade-offs. SHP performed poorly for climate impact and fossil-resource scarcity but had low water consumption. PCP performed well for greenhouse-gas emissions but had particularly high water consumption and notable installation-related impacts, including terrestrial acidification and human toxicity. BP and CFA showed more balanced impacts across several categories, though diesel-powered installation remained a concern.<br /><br />The authors conclude that foundation selection should consider environmental impacts alongside cost, structural requirements, local soil conditions, material sourcing, transport, and equipment use. Because the findings reflect one project and a cradle-to-site scope, results may differ elsewhere. Further work should improve local life-cycle data and explore cleaner installation methods.

Keywords

life cycle assessment

deep foundation systems

precast concrete piles

bored piles

continuous flight auger piles

steel H-section piles

greenhouse gas emissions

environmental impacts

Brazilian construction

foundation selection