Eco-sustainability analysis of precast-concrete utility poles manufacturing–A case study from Pakistan

The civil construction sector is a major contributor to the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), and accounts for 40 to 50% of the total GHGs emissions produced all over the world. Concrete utility poles are considered as pillars of power distribution systems in many developing regions of the world. This study has analysed the environmental sustainability of low-tension (LT) and high-tension (HT) types of precast-concrete (PC) poles used for power distribution in Pakistan. Life cycle analysis (LCA) method is used for the assessment of environmental burdens associated with the production-manufacturing stages of these PC poles. The LCA scores are illustrated for five impact categories: climate change, acidification, eutrophication, fine-particulate matter formation and fossil resource scarcity. The significant impact scores have been depicted in climate change and abiotic resource depletion categories as; 4.60E+01 kg CO2 eq. and 1.24 E+01 kg oil eq (for LT PC pole) and 1.55E+02 kg CO2 eq and 3.00E+01 kg oil eq (for HT PC pole), respectively. The analytics further depict that the manufacturing of PC pole is a highly energy intensive process, with significant hauling of raw materials and finished product which causes significant emissions and impact towards climate change and fossil resources depletion. Overall, this research can offer several novel contributions to the field of sustainable development and civil engineering, including a comprehensive analysis of the environmental impacts of the manufacturing process, the development of sustainable practices and technologies and the identification of the links between sustainable development and economic growth.