| Greenhouse gas emissions embodied in reinforced concrete and timber railway sleepers. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 19544903 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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In Australia, there are currently two main materials used for railway sleepers: timber (river red gum, a species of eucalypt) and reinforced concrete. Within the state of Victoria alone, there are currently seven million railway sleepers that make up the rail network. It is estimated that around two million sleepers, or 29%, are presently required to replace timber sleepers and upgrade the entire network, for which there are significant environmental implications, such as the emission of greenhouse gases. These emissions are mainly as a result of the energy and other resources required or "embodied" through the sleeper manufacture, including those associated with harvesting timber and mining raw materials for manufacturing cement. Where alternatives are readily available, it is important that the environmental impacts of the various choices are assessed, ensuring that these impacts are minimized. This study aimed to assess the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with timber and reinforced concrete railway sleepers and showed that the life cycle emissions of reinforced concrete sleepers were up to six times less than the emissions associated with timber sleepers. Taking the potential errors associated with this type of assessment into account, there appearsto be a significant advantage in using reinforced concrete sleepers, in terms of reducing the life cycle emissions associated with the provision of railway sleepers. |
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Authors:
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Robert H Crawford |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Environmental science & technology Volume: 43 ISSN: 0013-936X ISO Abbreviation: Environ. Sci. Technol. Publication Date: 2009 May |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2009-06-23 Completed Date: 2009-07-20 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0213155 Medline TA: Environ Sci Technol Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 3885-90 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. rhcr@unimelb.edu.au |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Carbon Dioxide
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analysis* Construction Materials / analysis* Greenhouse Effect* Transportation* Wood / chemistry* |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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124-38-9/Carbon Dioxide |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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