Embodied Energy and Carbon Dioxide in Scottish Natural Stone

Project Summary

The aim of this study was to quantify the embodied carbon in natural stone used to construct new buildings and repair traditional buildings in Scotland. The SISTech team used a life-cycle analysis approach to measure the energy use and subsequent carbon emissions associated with the extraction, processing and transport of dimensional stone used in Scotland and the UK.

Data collected from quarries in Scotland and the rest of the UK were supplemented by information collected from India, China, Poland and Spain in order to quantify the embodied carbon associated with domestic and imported stone.

The embodied carbon model has been produced in line with PAS 2050 system boundaries, and cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-site results for slate, sandstone and granite have been developed.

The results of the project were presented by Project Manager Dr. Suzy Goodsir and Senior Researcher Naeeda Crishna at Historic Scotland's 'Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Traditional Buildings Conference' held in Edinburgh on the 24th of March 2010. Click here to see a copy.

The report for this project is available here. The SISTech team have also published an article about the study in Natural Stone Scientist magazine. Click here to read the article.

Project Partners

This project was funded by Historic Scotland and is being carried out by SISTech and Heriot-Watt University.