A GIS Framework for Reducing GHG Emissions in Concrete Transportation

Transportation is the largest Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emitting industry sector in North America. Between 1990 and 2005, emissions in Canada's freight transportation caused by Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicles (HDDV) increased by 18 mega tons of CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) or 84% equivalent. Although many factors contribute and while different options such as increasing fuel economy and substituting alternative fuel for reducing GHG emissions from transportation exist, little attention is given to reduce these emissions via behavioral changes. This research investigates lowering emissions in the construction industry through intelligent and optimized route planning. The task of concrete delivery from batch plants to construction sites was identified to estimate GHG emissions. An emission map in ArcGIS environment using the road network of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) was developed and later implemented in a decision support tool that enables construction industry practitioners to estimate GHG emissions from concrete transportation before ordering concrete from batch plants. Since material cost, delivery time, concrete quality, and availability often are the main criteria for practitioners to select concrete batch plants, the developed work offers practitioners with a choice for the lowest possible GHG emissions during concrete transportation. Although a more sustainable concrete delivery becomes feasible using the developed approach, results demonstrate that ordering concrete from batch plant varies depending on the search criteria selected.