Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in subway tunnel construction

This study evaluates the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the construction of subway tunnels, aiming to identify the primary sources of emissions and provide insights into emission reduction strategies. Using the civil engineering construction of specific tunnels of a subway line in Gu...

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Main Authors: Yalin Guo, Chen Dong, Zheng Chen, Shulei Zhao, Wenhao Sun, Wei He, Lei Zhang, Yiyuan Wang, Nan Hu, Chun Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2025-06-01
Series:Underground Space
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2467967425000121
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author Yalin Guo
Chen Dong
Zheng Chen
Shulei Zhao
Wenhao Sun
Wei He
Lei Zhang
Yiyuan Wang
Nan Hu
Chun Guo
author_facet Yalin Guo
Chen Dong
Zheng Chen
Shulei Zhao
Wenhao Sun
Wei He
Lei Zhang
Yiyuan Wang
Nan Hu
Chun Guo
author_sort Yalin Guo
collection DOAJ
description This study evaluates the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the construction of subway tunnels, aiming to identify the primary sources of emissions and provide insights into emission reduction strategies. Using the civil engineering construction of specific tunnels of a subway line in Guangdong Province, China, as a case study, this research quantitatively analyzes the composition of GHG emissions across three stages: upstream building materials production, building materials transportation, and on-site construction. The results indicate that upstream building materials production and on-site construction collectively account for over 95% of the total GHG emissions during tunnel construction. The analysis further reveals that a small proportion of building materials and construction machinery accounts for the majority of total GHG emissions during tunnel construction, aligning with the Pareto principle. The findings emphasize the importance of accurate evaluation of high-impact building materials and construction machinery, particularly in contexts where basic energy consumption data are limited. Strategies such as utilizing recycled materials and enhancing machinery efficiency can lead to significant emission reductions. For instance, achieving a recycling rate of 10% to 30% for steel and concrete can reduce total GHG emissions from tunnel construction by 5.51% to 9.94%, while improving machinery efficiency by 10% to 30% can reduce emissions by up to 2.29%. These findings provide a scientific basis for low-carbon subway tunnel construction.
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language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
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series Underground Space
spelling doaj-art-e10b54dfe8644502922a221f7ed6645a2025-08-20T03:19:57ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Underground Space2467-96742025-06-012226327910.1016/j.undsp.2024.12.001Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in subway tunnel constructionYalin Guo0Chen Dong1Zheng Chen2Shulei Zhao3Wenhao Sun4Wei He5Lei Zhang6Yiyuan Wang7Nan Hu8Chun Guo9Key Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering (Ministry of Education), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, ChinaSchool of Transportation and Logistics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, ChinaKey Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering (Ministry of Education), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, ChinaKey Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering (Ministry of Education), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, ChinaChina Railway Fourth Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430063, ChinaChina Railway Fourth Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430063, ChinaChina Railway Design Group Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300308, ChinaChina Communications Construction (Chengdu) Municipal Construction Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610096, ChinaChina Communications Construction (Chengdu) Municipal Construction Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610096, ChinaKey Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering (Ministry of Education), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China; Corresponding author.This study evaluates the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the construction of subway tunnels, aiming to identify the primary sources of emissions and provide insights into emission reduction strategies. Using the civil engineering construction of specific tunnels of a subway line in Guangdong Province, China, as a case study, this research quantitatively analyzes the composition of GHG emissions across three stages: upstream building materials production, building materials transportation, and on-site construction. The results indicate that upstream building materials production and on-site construction collectively account for over 95% of the total GHG emissions during tunnel construction. The analysis further reveals that a small proportion of building materials and construction machinery accounts for the majority of total GHG emissions during tunnel construction, aligning with the Pareto principle. The findings emphasize the importance of accurate evaluation of high-impact building materials and construction machinery, particularly in contexts where basic energy consumption data are limited. Strategies such as utilizing recycled materials and enhancing machinery efficiency can lead to significant emission reductions. For instance, achieving a recycling rate of 10% to 30% for steel and concrete can reduce total GHG emissions from tunnel construction by 5.51% to 9.94%, while improving machinery efficiency by 10% to 30% can reduce emissions by up to 2.29%. These findings provide a scientific basis for low-carbon subway tunnel construction.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2467967425000121Life cycle assessmentGHG emissionsSubway tunnelKey sourcesEnvironmental impact
spellingShingle Yalin Guo
Chen Dong
Zheng Chen
Shulei Zhao
Wenhao Sun
Wei He
Lei Zhang
Yiyuan Wang
Nan Hu
Chun Guo
Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in subway tunnel construction
Underground Space
Life cycle assessment
GHG emissions
Subway tunnel
Key sources
Environmental impact
title Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in subway tunnel construction
title_full Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in subway tunnel construction
title_fullStr Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in subway tunnel construction
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in subway tunnel construction
title_short Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in subway tunnel construction
title_sort evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in subway tunnel construction
topic Life cycle assessment
GHG emissions
Subway tunnel
Key sources
Environmental impact
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2467967425000121
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AT weihe evaluationofgreenhousegasemissionsinsubwaytunnelconstruction
AT leizhang evaluationofgreenhousegasemissionsinsubwaytunnelconstruction
AT yiyuanwang evaluationofgreenhousegasemissionsinsubwaytunnelconstruction
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