Approximate embodied energies
and embodied carbon for an
array of common materials
C
Material
Concrete
Steel
Stainless steel
Timber
Glue laminated timber
Glass fiber insulation
Aluminum
Asphalt (bitumen)
Plywood
Glass
PVC
Copper
Lead
Energy
(MJ/kg)
1.11
20.1
56.7
8.5
12
28
155
51
15
15
77.2
42
25.21
Carbon
(kgCO
2
/kg)
0.159
1.37
6.15
0.46
0.87
1.35
8.24
0.4
1.07
0.85
2.41
2.6
1.57
ask yourself: “Can I conceivably bury or sequester
carbon in that flow?” Makers, if you can figure
out how to answer yes, you’ll make an enormous
contribution to addressing climate change.
If we are to sequester carbon, it most likely
will be by utilizing the large material flows we
already engage in. Stash it in the soil and rock
we move, or in forestry and wood products, or in
concrete and drywall. It may not be as glamorous
as carbon “air capture” but it’s more likely and
more reasonable. It is realistically slower than
the pathways that’ve been modelled into UN IPCC
emission reduction scenarios. That means you’ll
need to figure it out quick and get going.
So what I’m trying to do in this article is really
two things. I’d like to show you the efficiency
wins and technology transformations that can
sharply reduce industrial energy flows, but I also
want you to keep an eye open for opportunities to
sequester CO
2
in the materials of our existence.
Embodied energy:
Thinking about the energy in stu
Engineers think about the energy or carbon
footprint of a product in terms of its embodied
energy or its embodied carbon (see Table
C
).
Otherlab
17
makeprojects.com
M74_014-9_FixThePlanet4_F1.indd 17M74_014-9_FixThePlanet4_F1.indd 17 7/19/20 11:34 AM7/19/20 11:34 AM
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