Comparative study of the carbon footprint of an eco-material ribbed slab and a reinforced concrete ribbed slab

Environmental sustainability is a major concern in the construction industry due to its high greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. To mitigate its environmental impact, alternative solutions that reduce the carbon footprint of buildings while ensuring adequate structural performance are necessary. This study assesses the carbon footprint of an eco-material ribbed slab, consisting of a compression table made of laterite concrete reinforced with rattan, rice husk concrete hollow blocks, and longitudinal laterite concrete ribs reinforced with palmyra wood and transversely with rattan liana. The carbon footprint of this slab was compared to that of a traditional reinforced concrete ribbed slab with sand-cement hollow blocks. The life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted in compliance with the Emission Factor Guide 5 from the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), as well as ISO 14040, 14044, and EN 15978 standards. The results show that the reinforced concrete slab emits 1.93 times more CO2 than the eco-material slab, amounting to 3.629 tons of CO2 equivalent for the traditional slab compared to 1.881 tons of CO2 equivalent for the eco-material slab.