Assessment of Embodied Energy and Embodied Carbon in Construction and Demolition Waste: A Case Study of
a Single-Family House in Thailand

The rising of population growth rate has increased the demand for residentials building, driving in higher demand for residential building construction. This activity has resulted in a significant release of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in to the environment contributes to environmental problem such as waste management and becoming an obstacle for achieving carbon neutrality and sustainable society.

This research aims to quantify the embodied energy and embodied carbon of C&D waste from a singlefamily house during the building’s life cycle. The C&D waste of 14 main building materials of a case study house is estimated as 1%, 5% and 10% by weight. The embodied energy and embodied carbon coefficient were obtained from the previous publication. This study presents average of C&D waste generation rates 83.41 kg/m² for construction, 133.11 kg/m² for renovation, and 1,563.86 kg/m² for demolition. Concrete is the largest contributor by weight in construction, accounting for 72.62% of total C&D waste, followed by fibercement (10.43%) and steel (4.17%). The total embodied energy consumption of a case study house is calculated for 7.46 GJ/m2 and 0.63 tonnes CO2-eq/m2 for embodied carbon. Furthermore, there are some materials such as aluminum and paint which generate small amount of C&D waste but contribute significantly to high embodied energy and embodied carbon. This research provides valuable information on C&D waste, particularly in the context of Thailand. This finding can contribute to an understanding of C&D waste management and inform the development of suitable guidelines and strategies for the future. Ultimately, this can lead society towards achieving a more sustainable future.