Case 5 Waterways
LCA Studies
The use of Geosynthetics leads to lower impact in all categories:
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Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 12 to 26% through the use of geosynthetics
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The cumulative energy requirement is reduced by 13% to 28% through the use of geosynthetics
At the same time, the use of geosynthetics generate cost savings (see graph below)
This study shows
​The use of geosynthetics leads to:
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25% (min.) lower environmental impact for all indicators
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~ 25% lower non-renewable cumulative energy demand
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~ 20-30% lower cumulative greenhouse gas emissions
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~ 20% costs saving, as compared with conventional methods
Cross section
The functional unit is 1 meter of an inland waterway with a width of about 34 meters (water level, see below). The upper layer consists of water stones in both cases. The filter layer is either gravel/sand of two times 20 cm (left side figure) or a geosynthetic filter (right side figure)
Geosynthetics in filter function in waterways
Carbon footprint
Environmental impact graph
