Sustainable construction based on green roofs designed to retain rainwater and provide food: An LCA compared to conventional roofs

IF 9.6 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Sustainable Production and Consumption Pub Date : 2025-08-05 DOI:10.1016/j.spc.2025.08.001

Florence Rezende Leite , Maria Lúcia Pereira Antunes , Diogo Aparecido Lopes Silva

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Abstract

This study applied Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare the environmental performance of a conventional Ceramic Roof (CR) and a modular Green Roof (GR). As a novel contribution, the GR system was designed using Pereskia aculeata, a resilient, edible, and underutilized plant species, and included the analysis of rainwater retention impacts during the roof's use phase. The methodology was structured in three stages: (1) comparison between CR and GR systems, considering construction and the roof's first year of use; (2) sensitivity analysis of alternative materials for GR components, complemented by uncertainty analysis; and (3) a 30-years projection of use-phase impacts. Primary data were obtained from GR experimental prototypes monitored over one year, including irrigation volumes, plant development, and rainwater retention from 50 rainfall events. Secondary data were modeled using the ecoinvent database and literature sources. In the first stage, GR outperformed CR in 11 of 14 impact categories, with total normalized impacts 13 % lower. In CR, 80 % of impacts were from ceramic tile production, while in GR, polymer components were most impactful, polypropylene accounted for 82 % of Fossil Depletion and polyester for 95 % of Ozone Depletion. Sensitivity analysis showed that substituting the module and filter layers' materials with alternative polymers in GR reduced Marine and Freshwater Ecotoxicity by over 70 %. The optimized GR scenario achieved 71 % lower normalized impacts than CR and performed better in 13 of 14 categories. The 30-years projection reinforced the GR's superior performance over time. In conclusion, GR demonstrated substantial environmental advantages over CR. Additionally, GR adds value through food production, making it a promising strategy for promoting urban agriculture. Further studies on cost, end-of-life impacts, and species selection are needed to support broader adoption.

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基于绿色屋顶的可持续建筑，旨在保留雨水和提供食物：与传统屋顶相比，LCA

本研究应用生命周期评估（LCA）来比较传统陶瓷屋顶（CR）和模块化绿色屋顶（GR）的环境性能。作为一个新的贡献，GR系统的设计使用了Pereskia aculeata，这是一种有弹性的、可食用的、未被充分利用的植物物种，并在屋顶使用阶段分析了雨水保留的影响。该方法分为三个阶段：(1)考虑到建筑和屋顶第一年的使用情况，比较CR和GR系统；(2) GR组件替代材料敏感性分析，辅以不确定度分析；(3) 30年的使用阶段影响预测。主要数据来自于对GR试验原型进行了一年多的监测，包括灌溉量、植物发育和50个降雨事件的雨水保留。辅助数据使用ecoinvent数据库和文献资源建模。在第一阶段，GR在14个影响类别中的11个优于CR，总标准化影响降低13%。在CR中，80%的影响来自瓷砖生产，而在GR中，聚合物组分的影响最大，聚丙烯占化石消耗的82%，聚酯占臭氧消耗的95%。敏感性分析表明，用替代聚合物替代GR中的模块和过滤层材料，可使海洋和淡水生态毒性降低70%以上。优化后的GR方案比CR降低了71%的标准化影响，并且在14个类别中的13个类别中表现更好。随着时间的推移，30年的预测强化了GR的卓越表现。综上所述，与CR相比，GR具有显著的环境优势。此外，GR通过粮食生产增加了价值，是促进都市农业发展的一种有前景的战略。为了支持更广泛的采用，需要进一步研究成本、寿命终结影响和物种选择。

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来源期刊

Sustainable Production and Consumption Environmental Science-Environmental Engineering

CiteScore

17.40

自引率

7.40%

发文量

389

审稿时长

13 days

期刊介绍： Sustainable production and consumption refers to the production and utilization of goods and services in a way that benefits society, is economically viable, and has minimal environmental impact throughout its entire lifespan. Our journal is dedicated to publishing top-notch interdisciplinary research and practical studies in this emerging field. We take a distinctive approach by examining the interplay between technology, consumption patterns, and policy to identify sustainable solutions for both production and consumption systems.