Analysis of Embodied Energy and Carbon in Malaysian Building Construction Using Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is considered as the most efficient methodology and has been widely accepted by previous researches in the area of energy analysis. Quantifying embodied energy (EE) and carbon (EC) is time-consuming and needs a lot of quantitative effort to ensure reliability of the data to be obtained and analysed. Hybrid-based LCA (hybrid LCA) is utilised - this incorporates input-output based LCA (I-O LCA) that calculate flow of building materials, products, and construction processes in the whole sector of economy and process-based LCA (process LCA) is used to quantify physical quantities of materials, products, or processes. Although hybrid LCA has been identified as improving completeness of EE and EC inventory data, this benefit was not empirically verified extensively, particularly in the Malaysian building construction industry. Therefore, the principal aim of this research was to develop LCEA methodology in order to systematically quantify EE and EC of building construction in Malaysia.