Ian Corne, CPESC, M.Land.Arch., B.E.S., Application Specialist, Erosion and Sediment Control, Nilex Inc.
TAC (September 2013)
Carbon footprint impact and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is beginning to pervade modern civil construction and operational practices.
Designers, owners, communities and nations are struggling to incrementally reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Green armourning of civil structures, historically hard armoured in rock, holds promise for significant reduction of the carbon footprint of construction.
This paper explores the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing Turf and Root Reinforcement Mat (TRM) technology in armouring civil structures as compared to traditional rock armouring. The paper outlines the generally accepted use of geosynthetics in civil structure construction, and surveys the current greenhouse gas reduction strategies in construction.
A case study of the Assiniboine River Diversion Failsafe in Manitoba, Canada outlines successes in the armouring of a civil structure against erosion utilizing TRM technology. A comparative analysis explores the carbon footprint of constructing with this green technology as compared to hard armouring with conventional construction methods such as rock riprap and rock armouring.
Highlighted is the significant carbon footprint efficiency of this Turf and Root Reinforcement Mat green armourning technique.