Emission assessment of alternative dam structure types, a novel approach to consider in new dam projects

Dams require high-volume of construction materials and operations over the life cycle. This paper aims to select a proper type of dam structure that can significantly contribute to the sustainability of dam projects.

This research proposes a complementary fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission assessment method for the alternate dam structure types to assist decision-makers in selecting sustainable choices. Related equations are developed for two common earthen and rock-fill dam structures types in Iran. These equations are then successfully applied to two real dam project cases where the significance of the achieved results are assessed and discussed.

The achieved results of the case studies demonstrate a high deviation of up to 41.3% in CO₂ emissions comparing alternate dam structure scenarios of earthen and rock-fill dam structures. This high deviation represents an important potential for CO₂ emission reduction considering the high volume of the emission in large dam projects.

The life cycle emission assessment of the alternate dam structures, proposed in this research as a novel complementary factor, can be used in the decision-making process of dam projects. The results in this research identify high potential sustainability improvement of dam projects as a result of the proposed method.