Sustainability Evaluation in the Selection of Flood Control Embankment Construction Materials

Abstract

Sustainability is the keyword of the times. Resilience and CO₂ reduction are being focused in the construction sector. In general, the current structural design system does not include environmental impacts and cost. The purpose of this study is to investigate a feasibility of sustainability design, in which social, economic, and environmental aspects are taken into account, through case studies. Sustainability evaluation for the selection of bank materials in a flood control embankment construction project was conducted. From the study, it was found that stabilization and crushed soil made of cementitious materials is less expensive than mechanical stabilization, has higher utilization of excavated soil and uses fewer natural resources, but generates more CO₂ emissions. In a comparison between cement-based stabilizer and blast furnace slag cements, the stabilizing material is superior in terms of cost, CO₂ emissions, and natural resource consumption. It can be concluded that sustainability assessment is beneficial as the material selection is easy and a direction of technology development is clarified.