IIT Carbon footprint calculation

CONENT LAYOUT:

1. Introduction:
Motivation and Abstract
Background : about IIT Bombay
· Definition of carbon footprint and its contributors
· How carbon footprint effects environment
· Contribution of personal as well as shared factors to the carbon footprint of an
Ecosystem

 . Definition of terms(GWP, CO2e, GHG, Carbon Footprint, NCV, Carbon Calculator,

IPCC, Emission Factors, Ecological Footprint, Mileage, Primary carbon footprint,
Secondary Carbon Footprint, )

2. Objective
· To calculate carbon footprint of IIT Bombay due to its day to day activities
· To show the bifurcation in per capita consumption between shared and personal factors
3. Literature review(9 paper)
· Key Concept
· Earlier work related to calculation of carbon footprint of universities(Ecosystem)
· Methodology and tools used in them
. Trend analysis for carbon footprint of univs and their compatibility with Indian scenario
. Important findings

4. Scope – Boundary of our analysis

4. Our Methodology
. Scope of the study <<Boundary/System Defining>>
. Data collection for each sub-section
. Obtaining the equivalent carbon footprint factor
. Calculating the equivalent carbon footprint
. Data interpretation and observation

5. Results and Analysis

· Absolute Emission quantities (table), pie-charts, histograms
. Analyzing, comparing and summarizing the results
· certain sensitivity analysis based on major emission parameter

6. Discussion and Conclusion

· Key outputs
· Limitations of the work
(Paper, Labs, Air travel,Infrastructural changes, embedded footprint, internet, Special
occasions like MI, TF., Guests )

7. Future Scope of the work

limitations+ suggestions from literature
Executive Summary:
1. Background

Abstract :
Climate change resulting from anthropogenic activities is now recognized as one of the most
urgent environmental issues the global community is facing. In an attempt to manage the
situation, governments and industry are adopting targets such as those set at the Kyoto
conference in 1997, which aim to control emissions of greenhouse gases. Carbon Dioxides
accounts for 82.5%of all the green house gases, So Carbon auditing, the focus of this study,
will play a pivotal role in establishing the baseline Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions for any
organization in order to allow meaningful emission reductions to be made.

The premise of the research was to estimate CO2 emissions of an institute IIT Bombay, which
was achieved using evaluation criteria for the development of a best practice carbon audit. In
simple words Carbon Auditing is a means of measuring and recording the Carbon Dioxide
emissions of an organization which is sometimes called “Carbon Footprint” too. Present
analysis takes into consideration the CO2 emissions happening due to daily chores related to
utilities commuting and wastes. The study is based on the data collected from various sources
and a survey was conducted among a sample set consisting of students and staff residing in
the campus. The for or embodied carbon, of a product or service is total amount of
greenhouse gases emitted across the life cycle of a product. Though there are non CO2
greenhouse gases that are included in the carbon footprint, the term arises from the most
significant greenhouse gas: CO2 (carbon dioxide).
Introduction:

Current concerns about human induced global warming, an increasing greenhouse effect,
environmental instability and sustainable development have promoted organizations to devise
and implement environmental audits (Martin et al., 1992) The focus of this study is carbon
auditing of a specific region as IIT Bombay.
Environmental Auditing has been defined by the International Chamber of Commerce (1989)
as:
“ A management tool comprising a systematic, documented, periodic and objective evaluation
of how well environmental organization, managements and equipments are performing with
the aim if safeguarding the environment by:
1 Facilitating management and control of environmental practices; and
2. Assessing the compliance with company policies, which includes meeting regulatory
requirements”.

Environmental Audits can help organizations towards continual improvement and a sustainable
future (Welford, 1998). Carbon Auditing falls under classification of environmental auditing and
looks specifically at an organization‟s performance in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.
Though Carbon Audit is not as well developed as energy audits, (which to some extent help to
estimate an organization's CO2 emissions) but it is an essential first step in the long term
action plan to manage and reduce emissions in order to meet demanding targets which is
known as „Carbon Strategy‟. 1997 Kyoto Protocol (Ratified by UN membership 2005)
established targets for industrialized nations to cut carbon emissions. UK targeted to cut
emissions to 12.5% below 1990 level by 2012 (failure likely).Carbon strategy is now
compulsory in certain designated industries as steel and Car manufacturers in UK. World
average target is 5.7% below 1990 levels.

Need for the Audit:

The greenhouse effect is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by
gases in the atmosphere warm a planet's lower atmosphere and surface. Emissions scenarios,
estimates of changes in future emission levels of greenhouse gases, have been projected that
depend upon uncertain economic, sociological, technological, and natural developments.
Carbon Dioxides accounts for 82.5%of all the green house gases.

Important parameters for Carbon Auditing:

1) Global Warming
Global warming is the current rise in the average temperature of Earth's oceans and
atmosphere and its projected continuation. The scientific consensus is that global warming is
occurring and was initiated by human activities, especially those that increase concentrations
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuels.
Scientists directly measured the global surface temperature increase during the 20th century
at about 0.74°C (1.33°F). According to the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), the "best estimate" of future warming for the A2 scenario is 3.4°C
(6.1°F) by 2100, with a likely range from 2.0-5.4°C (3.6-9.7°F). Temperature changes vary
over the globe. Since 1979, land temperatures have increased about twice as fast as ocean
temperatures (0.25 °C per decade against 0.13 °C per decade). The Northern Hemisphere
warms faster than the Southern Hemisphere because it has more land and because it has
extensive areas of seasonal snow and sea-ice cover subject to ice-albedo feedback.
A comprehensive and transparent carbon audit can provide organisations, including schools,
with the necessary framework to report their CO2 emissions and meaningful emission
reduction, which in turn will help in reduction of global warming.

2) Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is the measure of the amount of greenhouse gases, measured in units of
carbon dioxide, produced by human activities. A carbon footprint can be measured for an
individual or an organization, and is typically given in tons of CO2-equivalent (CO2-eq) per
year. For example, the average North American generates about 20 tons of CO2-eq each year.
The global average carbon footprint is about 4 tons of CO2-eq per year.

An individual‟s or organization‟s carbon footprint can be broken down into the primary and
secondary footprints.

3) Primary Footprint
The primary footprint is the sum of direct emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of
fossil fuels for energy consumption and transportation. More fuel-efficient cars have a smaller
primary footprint, as do energy-efficient light bulbs in the home or office. Worldwide, 82% of
anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are in the form of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion.

4) Secondary footprint
The secondary footprint is the sum of indirect emissions of greenhouse gases during the life
cycle of products used by an individual or organization. For example, the greenhouse gases
emitted during the production of plastic for water bottles, as well as the energy used to
transport the water, contribute to the secondary carbon footprint. Products with more
packaging will generally have a larger secondary footprint than products with a minimal
amount of packaging. Here we are calculating primary foot print for Indian Institute of
Technology as we are not taking indirecct emissions in the account.

5) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IPCC The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific intergovernmental
body tasked with reviewing and assessing the most recent scientific, technical and socio-
economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change. It
provides the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its
potential environmental and socio-economic consequences, notably the risk of climate change
caused by human activity.

6) Net Calorfic Value:

Net calorific value (NCV) or Lower heating value is defined as the enthalpy of all combustion
products, minus the enthalpy of the fuel at the reference temperature (API research project 44
used 25 °C. GPSA currently uses 60 °F), minus the enthalpy of the stoichiometric oxygen(O2)
at the reference temperature, minus the heat of vaporization of the vapor content of the
combustion products.(as per Gas Processors Suppliers Association ).

7) Mileage:
Mileage for a vehicle can be defined as the total distance travelled by a given vehicle per unit
of the quantity of fuel used. In the context of this report, mileage is assumed to be the
average total distance covered by a given type of vehicle per unit litre or kilogram of the fuel
consumed.

8) Emission Factor :
An emission factor is defined as the average emission rate of a given GHG for a given source,
relative to units of activity.

9) Global Warming Potential

Global-warming potential (GWP) is a relative measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas
traps in the atmosphere. It compares the amount of heat trapped by a certain mass of the gas
in question to the amount of heat trapped by a similar mass of carbon dioxide. A GWP is
calculated over a specific time interval, commonly 20, 100 or 500 years. GWP is expressed as
a factor of carbon dioxide. The Global Warming Potentials (GWP) used for presentation of CH4
and N2O in terms of CO2 equivalent are 21 and 310, respectively. For HFCs, PFCs, and SF6
the GWP values for a 100 year time horizon have been used. (wiki)

10) Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e):

Carbon Dioxide Equivalent or CO2e is defined as the unit of measurement used to compare the
relative climate impact of the different greenhouse gases. The CO2e quantity of any
greenhouse gas is the amount of carbon dioxide that would produce the equivalent global
warming potential. (www.carbonneutral.com)

11) Ecological Footprint:

Ecological footprint is the number of hectares of productive land or sea required to support one
average person at the world average consumption level. (Eartheconomics, 2009) The
discussion on ecological footprint led to the conceptualization and formulation of carbon
footprint.

12) Green House Gases (GHG):

A greenhouse gas is one of several gases present in the atmosphere that can absorb and emit
longwave (infrared) radiation in a planetary atmosphere. This phenomenon is is the
fundamental cause of the greenhouse gas effect. The main greenhouse gases are water
vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. (www.eoearth.org)

13) Carbon calculator :

A carbon calculator is a computer system that measures the carbon emissions of households
and organizations. The measurement takes into account the yearly energy consumption
including electricity, natural gas, heating oil, propane and transports. The result of the
calculation is an estimated emission figure expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide that is known
as carbon footprint.

Most carbon calculators are available online. They offer customers solutions to reduce
theirgreenhouse gas emissions and thus improve their impact on the environment.
(http://www.greentimes.com.au)
About IIT Bombay
IIT Bombay, was established in 1958, at Powai, a northern suburb of Mumbai. Today the
Institute is recognised as one of the centres of academic excellence in the country. IIT Bombay
is a small township in itself. Consciously developed, the campus has retained and increased its
green cover, rich in natural flora and fauna. The campus is connected to the city proper, an
hour's distance through buses and local trains. However, most facilities are available on
campus itself, including a bank, a shopping centre, two excellent schools for children, and a
well equipped hospital. All students and most faculty live on campus, in student hostels and
IIT staff quarters.
IIT Bombay is a public research university located in Powai, Mumbai between the Vihar and
Powai lakes. It is spread over 550 acres and has around 500 faculty members and 7000
students. The total number of people / families residing on the campus (apart from the
students is) 7700. IIT Bombay has 14 departments, 10 multi-disciplinary centres, and 3
schools of excellence. The campus is divided into clusters of buildings. The academic area
chiefly comprises the Main Building, various Departmental annexures and auditoria. All
department annexures are connected by a corridor named Infinite Corridor. Beyond the
Convocation Hall lies the hostels (with the exception of Hostel 10, which is abutting the
departmental annexure). The hostels are numbered from 1 through 14, with Hostel 10 (under-
graduate and post-graduate) and Hostel 11 (post-graduate) specially reserved for women.
Tansa House is a housing complex exclusively for the single male project staff. It is the
smallest hostel in IIT Bombay with 128 rooms. The Tulsi House is meant for married research
scholars. Apart from these, few students also reside in Type -1 quarters, Vihar House, QIP
quarters and DRDO building which are situated in the campus. There are quarters and flats for
the faculty and the staff. They are divided into various types and will be close to 1850 (details
to be added).

2. Literature survey/ other related works

GOING ON IN A SEPARATE FILE

3. Scope- boundary of the study

1. Scope of the study

The study was conducted for the period of Oct 2009 to Sept 2010. Sample set consists of
student‟s community, staff and faculty along with their families residing inside the campus.
Equivalent Carbon footprint emission by staff and faculty residing outside campus is assumed
to be limited to usage of electricity and intra-institute transportation.

1.1 Defining Boundaries/ Limitations of each sub-sections :

The emissions arising due to activities happening in the campus can be differentiated as either
direct emissions or indirect emissions. Direct emissions arises due to the emissions from fuel
consumed during cooking, transportation and also includes the emissions arising due to cell
phone usage. Indirect emissions include emissions due to electricity usage and waste
generation. Each of these contributors to emission are discussed along with the

1.1.1 Electricity: The energy consumption on campus is mainly in the form of electricity. It is
used primarily for the purpose of lighting, air-conditioning and for other office, personal and
household appliances. A considerable amount of electricity is also used in the operation of
water treatment and supply plant situated inside the campus. IIT Bombay completely rely on
commercial power companies (e.g., MSEDCL (Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution
Company Ltd.) and TATA Power pvt. Ltd. ) for its electricity requirements. The campus has a
connected electrical load of 5.3 MW as on April 2008 and a contract demand of 4.5 MVA. In the
current study, emissions arising from electricity related activities of entire institute are taken
into account.

1.1.2 Waste: Waste in the institute primarily consists of Solid waste (MSW), Organic waste
and Electronic waste or E-Waste. Significant amount of waste/garbage is generated on a daily
basis in the hostels and residential area. The waste produced in academic area and due to day-
to-day activities in the common utility area is not considered in the present text. we have also
kept E-Waste out of our present consideration. The total waste was characterised as 40% MSW
and 60% of organic waste.

1.1.3 Cellphone: “Mobile phones don't consume much power – but the networks they rely on
do.” With the advancement of telecommunication over the past decade, cellphones have
become an integral part of the society. According to recent research, using a cellphone for a
year on average emits 112 kg of CO2. In the present purview its contribution to the overall
carbon footprint has become significant with larger number of individuals using cellphones for
long duration. The present study is restricted to find the emissions arising from network
operators due to daily cellphone usage.

1.1.4 Transportation: Quantifying the GHG emissions from commuter traffic inside the campus
proved to be one of the most challenging tasks. The goal of the commuter traffic component of
the calculator is to estimate GHG emissions associated with annual distance traveled inside the
campus by students, faculty, and staff. The data on commuter behavior was not available for
the institute. To estimate the GHG emissions, we have utilized the survey data conducted by
the students of Civil Engineering Department. The data provided was the average data of
distance travelled by different vehicle type in a continuous time period of two hours averaged
over five working days (Monday to Friday).

1.1.5 LPG: Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is the primary fuel used throughout institute for
cooking purposes. IIT Bombay has a total of 13 food mess running in its hostel premises.
Apart from these, 12 privately owned canteens, 1 restaurant-cum-cafeteria, and 2 food joints
also run inside campus. Almost all the residents use the standard LPG cylinders for cooking.
The usage of LPG in academic area (if any) is presently out of the scope of present calculation.

2. METHODOLOGY

The institute has been divided in 3 sections namely academic, residential and hostel area. The
carbon dioxide equivalent for the institute is obtained for which the electricity, intra-institute
transport, waste, cooking and cellphone usage was considered with certain limitations which
are to be discussed further.

We are following a 3 step methodology for the current study described below:

1.. Data collection

2. Calculating annual emissions for each inventory
3. Analyzing, comparing and summarizing the results

2.1 Data Collection:

Data for each of the contributor was assimilated using both primary as well as secondary
sources. Data collection process and a sample data for each contributor is discussed in detail in
this section.

2.1.1 Electricity:
Consumed electricity data was available for the period of October 2009- September 2010 and
was provided by the Electrical Maintenance Division. The electricity bills provided were
separate for each hostel and for each building of the academic section. The bills were obtained
through the electricity meter readings which are strategically placed throughout the campus.
For the residential area, a cumulative bill covering the electricity usage for all the amenities of
the area was obtained. Figure X1 to Figure X5 show sample bills issued for the month of April
2010.

2.1.2 Waste:
The data for the amount of solid waste generated by the hostel area was taken into account
through a survey. One of our group member accompanied the garbage collection vehicle over
a period of a week and as vehicle moved to every hostel for waste collection, the MSW and
food waste was weighed and was noted down. The average data for a day was thus obtained.
For the waste generation in the residential area we have conducted a survey consisting of
sample across various socio-economic groups residing inside the campus. We then considered
the weighted average value for the waste. [see Ref.] Waste receiving facilities in the region
were contacted to find out how they specifically disposed of the campus waste. The MSW
generated in the campus was land-filled with no methane recovery. The organic waste is
disposed in a Vermi-compost pit located inside institute.

2.1.3 Cell phone:

The average cell phone usage for hostel area was obtained by conducting a survey among
students. A similar survey was conducted among the residents for gauging the cellphone usage
pattern among residents.

2.1.4 LPG:
To estimate the emissions from LPG, these places were surveyed and their average daily
consumption of LPG was noted. The data for the LPG usage in the residential area was
obtained from Ref. [Gokul].

2.2 Calculating annual emissions for each inventory

To develop a complete GHG emissions inventory, activity data (e.g., fuel consumed, kWh
electricity utilized, waste disposed, etc.) was multiplied by an emissions factor (e.g., kg
CO2/kWh, kg CO2/passenger km, etc.) to yield emissions for that activity by specific GHG
type. Each GHG type was converted to its carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) based on its global
warming potential relative to CO2 (Table to be made). All emissions were reported in a
common unit of measurement, namely, Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (MT-CO2e).
For example, one metric ton of methane is equal to the emission of 21 metric tons of CO2.
This normalization enabled each GHG type to be compared based on its global warming
potential.
Table 2.1 : Global Warming Potential of Greenhouse Gases

GreenHouse Gas (Gas) Global Warming Potential

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 1

Methane (CH4) 21

Nitrous Oxide (N2O) 296

A list of sources contributing towards GHG emissions during our day to day activities was made.
Then emission factor for every source was either taken from studies done previously or was
estimated. Table [] enlists the CO2e factors of all the sources of GHGs considered in the resent
study.

Table 2.2: Emission factors for the components under consideration

Sources Emission Units References Remarks
Factors

Electricity 0.82 kg of CO2e per unit of http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/planning/cdm_co Electricity supply to the IIT
electricity(per kWh) 2/user_guide_ver6.pdf Bombay comes from NEWNE

Petrol 2.32 kg of CO2e per liter http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon- -

reduce-costs/calculate/carbon-
footprinting/pages/conversion-factors.aspx

Diesel 2.672 kg of CO2e per liter http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon- -

reduce-costs/calculate/carbon-
footprinting/pages/conversion-factors.aspx

LPG* 2.78 kg of CO2e per kg of *[ ]Hiding behind the Poor *Liquefied Petroleum
LPG Gas(Household and commercial
cooking fuel)

CNG* 2.67 kg of CO2e per of kg of Hiding Behind the Poor *Compressed Natural Gas (used
CNG for public transportation)

Cellphone 57** gm of CO2e per min of http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green- ** emission factors includes

talktime living-blog/2010/jun/09/carbon-footprint- emissions due to usage and
mobile-phone does not include emissions
during manufacturing process

Municipal 1.49 kg of CO2e per kg of http://epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/dow Exhibit 16 page no. 16

Solid Waste MSW nloads/landfilling-chapter10-28-10.pdf

Food Scraps 0.87 kg of CO2e per kg of http://epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/dow

food scraps nloads/landfilling-chapter10-28-10.pdf

**Bus 0.0225 Kg of CO2 per passenger M.Tech Report ** calculations are done
(Diesel) Km assuming an average occupancy
of 40 passengers

**Auto- 0.031 kg of CO2e per http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?artic ** 4-seater capacity with 65%

Rickshaw passenger km le_id=20080719-149512 occupancy
(CNG)
**4-wheeler 0.04 kg of CO2 per passenger M.Tech Report
km

2.2.1 Electricity :
The electricity bill data provided by the Electrical Maintenance Division was sorted and grouped
under each individual sector. However, the electricity bill for the staff hostels and Tansa House
were provided in a combined manner. While Tansa house is a part of the hostel area, staff
hostel comes under residential regime. To account for the same, we have subtracted the
average annual electricity bill per hostel from the combined set of bills provided and added an
equal amount to the electricity bills of the hostels. The remaining value was considered under
residential emissions. After segregating the bills for each sector we obtained the units of
electricity consumed for every sector during October 2009- September 2010 . Since the
institute has a 100% dependency on MSEDCL (Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution
Company Ltd.) and TATA Power Ltd. for its electricity requirement and no in-house electricity
generation methods are employed in the campus, the total units (in kWh) obtained for the
period were multiplied to the emission factor i.e 0.82 to get the CO2e due to electricity
Ref[cea]. This factor resembles the CO2e of per unit (kWh) of electricity which is distributed
through the NEWNE Grid.

2.2.2 Waste:
Waste was divided in 2 categories namely Mixed MSW and Food scraps or organic waste. The
total weight of Mixed MSW and Food scraps was then multiplied by their respective emission
factors to get the CO2e due to waste Ref[epa]. The avoided GHG emission from Energy
Recovery and from the landfill Carbon Storage which are the methods used in landfills in
developed countries is not considered in our case as there is no such method implemented in
landfills of Mumbai. Hence only the emission factor due to transportation of waste is added to
the actual emission from waste dumped at landfill (as per Exhibit 16 Ref[epa]) which makes
factor equal to 1.49 kg of CO2 per kg of MSW for mixed MSW and 0.87 kg of CO2 per kg of
Food Scraps for Food Scraps (organic waste).

2.2.3 Cellphone:
The data obtained from the sample survey was averaged out for students and residents
respectively. The average daily talk-time for student community was found to be
approximately 45 minutes as compared to 30 minutes for the residents. Also the number of
cellphones among students(hostel area) was estimated to be 6000 as against 4000 for the
residential area. The emission factor Ref [guardian.co.uk] considered is the emissions
associated with the usage of the cellphone and does not include estimation for any emissions
which happens during other processes in the life-cycle of the product like maufacturing, re-
cycling, etc. Hence the CO2e value obtained on multiplying the emission factor with the total
talktime in minutes gives footprint due to annual usage. Ref [stud report pg. no. 5]

2.2.4 Transportation:
(a) Private : 2 wheeler, 4 wheeler
(b)Public: bus, auto

2.2.5 LPG:
The number of LPGs consumed in the residential area were obtained through the studies of
Ref[gokul]. A separate survey-cum-interviews were conducted with the people in-charge of
running various mess, canteens and food joints inside the campus. Taking into account the
consumption of number of Commercial (19kg) and Domestic cylinders (14.2 kg) on the
monthly basis, the total annual usage of LPG was estimated. The CO2e value of 2.78 per kg of
LPG was considered from the studies**.Ref [hbtp]. The factor is then multiplied to the total
LPG consumed in one year and hence CO2e emission is obtained.

Results :

The following table below shows the Annual GHG emission in tonnes of CO2e for Students i.e
hostel area and for Residential area.

Students Annual GHG Residential annual GHG Total annual GHG of

emission ( tonnes of CO2e) emission (tonnes of CO2) institute (tonnes of
CO2)

Electricity 3956 5879.7 22011.12

Mixed 227.3 391.57 618.87

MSW

Food 539.2 342.95 882.15

Scraps

Cellphone 1314 584 1898

LPG 1089.187798 843.4970275 1932.69

Transport

The table below shows the Per Capita Annual GHG emission in tonnes of CO2e for Students i.e
hostel area and for Residential area.

Students Annual GHG Residential annual GHG Total annual GHG of

emission ( tonnes of CO2e / emission (tonnes of CO2 / institute (tonnes of CO2 /
capita) capita) capita)

Electricity 0.646 0.764 1.57

Mixed 0.037 0.051 0.088

MSW

Food 0.088 0.044 0.132

Scraps

Cellphone 0.219 0.146 0.365

LPG 0.173 0.109 0.282

Transport
Figure [Pie chart] shows relative distribution of emissions happening in the institute. It is seen
that the electricity consumption happening in the academic area comprises nearly half of the
total consumption.