Carbon Footprint Analysis of Concrete Blocks in Thailand

Authors

  • Natee Suriyanon

    Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
  • Teewara Suwan

    Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
  • Somjintana Kanangkaew

    Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
  • Apichat Buakla

    Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Phayao, Phayao 56000, Thailand
  • Apimook Sanpray

    Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v7i4.9690
Received: 24 April 2025 | Revised: 28 September 2025 | Accepted: 24 October 2025 | Published Online: 27 November 2025

Abstract

Concrete blocks are widely used for wall construction in Thailand, and reliable Carbon Footprint of Product (CFP) data for these blocks is essential for accurately estimating the embodied carbon of buildings—a crucial consideration in sustainable building design. This research evaluates the CFP of concrete blocks produced by a Thai factory, using a functional unit of one ton. The assessment applies a "Cradle to Gate" approach, covering both raw material acquisition and product manufacturing stages. The study period spans one year, from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. Results show that the CFP for the case study block is 88.508 kgCO₂eq/t, with the raw material acquisition stage responsible for 84.778 kgCO₂eq/t (95.79% of the CFP), and production stage emissions at 3.730 kgCO₂eq/t (4.21% of the CFP). A detailed analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reveals several key findings: (1) Portland cement is the primary source, accounting for 80.69% of the CFP; (2) emissions from the transportation of crushed stone and coarse sand are notably high; (3) electricity usage contributes 2.558 kgCO₂eq/t; and (4) broken concrete blocks constitute 12.93% of the mixture volume. This study not only addresses a critical gap in the availability of CFP data for concrete blocks in sustainable building analysis in Thailand, but also identifies key areas where GHG emissions associated with concrete block manufacturing can be reduced. The insights provided here are valuable for concrete block manufacturers across Thailand, especially those with similar production processes, as they work toward lowering the CFP of their products.

Keywords:

Carbon Footprint of Product; Greenhouse Gas Emission; Concrete Block; Cradle to Gate; Sustainable Design

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How to Cite

Suriyanon, N., Suwan, T., Kanangkaew, S., Buakla, A., & Sanpray, A. (2025). Carbon Footprint Analysis of Concrete Blocks in Thailand. Journal of Building Material Science, 7(4), 54–69. https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v7i4.9690

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 4 (December 2025): In Progress

Article Type

Article

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Copyright © 2025 Natee Suriyanon, Teewara Suwan, Somjintana Kanangkaew, Apichat Buakla, Apimook Sanpray

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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