Construction-Stage Carbon Accounting and Carbon Reduction Performance of Intelligent Construction in Landfill Vertical Barrier Engineering

Construction-stage carbon emissions from environmental remediation projects remain poorly quantified despite growing demands for low-carbon infrastructure. This study develops a carbon accounting framework for landfill vertical barrier engineering based on a full-scale remediation project in Haikou, China. Carbon emissions associated with fossil fuel consumption, construction materials, electricity use, water consumption during construction, and personnel-related activities were quantified using the emission factor method, and conventional and intelligent construction scenarios were compared. The results show that fossil fuel combustion accounted for 80.87% of total emissions under the conventional construction scenario and 66.83% under the intelligent construction scenario. Intelligent construction reduced total emissions by 19.34%, accompanied by reductions of 33.3% in diesel consumption, 2.9% in HDPE geomembrane consumption, and 15.5% in construction duration. Equipment electrification, automated construction, and intelligent grouting were identified as the primary drivers of carbon reduction through improved energy efficiency and material utilization. The proposed framework provides practical guidance for low-carbon construction and sustainable landfill remediation.