Water consumption and CO₂ emissions of concrete production in Panama as a function of the mix design

This study shows variability in water consumption and CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> emissions per cubic meter for different concrete mix designs, using data from Panama. Eight mix designs with different compressive strengths, were evaluated as a pilot study. The analysis considered processes within the production plant, transportation to the construction site, and the production of aggregates and cement. Primary data on water and energy consumption were obtained directly from local producers, and CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> emissions were calculated using the "Reduce Your Carbon Footprint" tool. The study found variability in water consumption and CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> emissions according to the compressive strength of the concrete. In the low consumption scenario, water consumption ranged from 400 to $600 \mathrm{~L} / \mathrm{m}^{3}$, while in the high consumption scenario, it ranged from 1100 to $1300 \mathrm{~L} / \mathrm{m}^{3} . \mathrm{CO}_{2}$ emissions varied between 100 and $300 \mathrm{~kg} \mathrm{~CO}_{2} \mathrm{~eq} / \mathrm{m}^{3}$ in the low consumption scenario, and between 200 and $500 \mathrm{~kg} \mathrm{~CO}_{2} \mathrm{eq} / \mathrm{m}^{3}$ in the high consumption scenario. These results emphasize the need for geographically contextualized studies of consumption and emissions. Although this study presents data from only eight mix designs, it highlights the importance of creating a database that allows for studying variability and identifying optimal ranges of consumption and emissions for concrete production in Panama, to reduce resource consumption, ecological footprint, and increase efficiency.