The use of wood construction materials as a way of carbon storage in residential buildings in Brazil

Abstract

Wood-based building materials are environmentally advantageous because of their lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during manufacturing and capability of storing carbon permanently in their structure. The use of these materials can contribute for reaching the construction industry 2030 international goal of having carbon neutral buildings. Using carbon uptake estimation models, for these materials, improves the accuracy of GHG emissions quantification by construction industry and promotes the forestry sector. In this paper, the amount of carbon stored in wood materials is compared to amount emitted by the construction of residential apartments using traditional materials in Brazil. A sample of five apartments, representative of Brazilian typical construction scenarios, was analyzed, and the amount of carbon stored in wood products (such as doors, floors and ceiling linings) calculated. The impact of stored carbon n CO₂eq (carbon dioxide equivalent) emission figures was assessed. The study shows that the stored carbon accounts, on average, for approximately 10% of the total CO₂eq emitted during the construction.

Keywords:

• Carbon emissions
• harvested wood products
• greenhouse effect
• construction materials

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.