IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/recore/v104y2015ipap141-151.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental and economic analyses of recycled asphalt concrete mixtures based on material production and potential performance

Author

Listed:
  • Yang, Rebekah
  • Kang, Seunggu
  • Ozer, Hasan
  • Al-Qadi, Imad L.

Abstract

As roadway construction is a material and energy intensive activity with potential impacts on the environment, the pavement industry has been seeking for more sustainable construction practices in the past decades. The use of recycled materials such as reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingle (RAS) is widely accepted as among the most commonly used sustainable strategies for asphalt concrete (AC) pavement due to its ability to partially substitute virgin asphalt binder and aggregate in AC mixtures. This study evaluated the environmental and economic benefits and trade-offs of including recycled materials in pavements using a life-cycle approach. Eleven AC mix designs from Illinois with various asphalt binder replacement (ABR) rates were evaluated in terms of environmental and economic impacts using life-cycle assessment (LCA) and an itemized cost analysis. The LCA was conducted in accordance to International Standard Organization ISO 14044:2006 guidelines. The life-cycle impacts of producing the AC mixtures were calculated in terms of energy, global warming potential, and cost. A general trend of reduction in these three sustainability metrics was observed for mix production with increasing ABR. However, without proper modification and engineering of mix designs (e.g. addition of a softer grade virgin asphalt binder), AC mixtures with high ABR can experience reduced fatigue life. Thus, the effect of pavement performance on the environmental impacts of using mixtures with various ABR was also considered, assuming that these mixtures are used in a 4-in. (102-mm) overlay over a four-lane-mile (1.6km) roadway. A breakeven concept was used to find the decreased service life at which the energy savings from using recycled asphaltic materials in the overlay equal the additional energy consumption incurred from a potential reduced performance in the pavement use phase. The breakeven point was found to be very sensitive to the traffic level of the overlay, with the breakeven service life decreasing rapidly with increased traffic.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang, Rebekah & Kang, Seunggu & Ozer, Hasan & Al-Qadi, Imad L., 2015. "Environmental and economic analyses of recycled asphalt concrete mixtures based on material production and potential performance," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 141-151.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:104:y:2015:i:pa:p:141-151
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.08.014
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344915300744
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.08.014?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Santero, Nicholas J. & Masanet, Eric & Horvath, Arpad, 2011. "Life-cycle assessment of pavements Part II: Filling the research gaps," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 55(9), pages 810-818.
    2. Aurangzeb, Qazi & Al-Qadi, Imad L. & Ozer, Hasan & Yang, Rebekah, 2014. "Hybrid life cycle assessment for asphalt mixtures with high RAP content," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 77-86.
    3. Vidal, Rosario & Moliner, Enrique & Martínez, Germán & Rubio, M. Carmen, 2013. "Life cycle assessment of hot mix asphalt and zeolite-based warm mix asphalt with reclaimed asphalt pavement," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 101-114.
    4. Harvey, J. & Kendall, A. & Lee, I.-S & Santero, N. & Van Dam, T. & Wang, T., 2010. "Pavement Life Cycle Assessment Workshop: Discussion Summary and Guidelines," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt3jc3d3xs, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Namho Cho & Mounir El Asmar & Mohammad Aldaaja, 2022. "An Analysis of the Impact of the Circular Economy Application on Construction and Demolition Waste in the United States of America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-21, August.
    2. Natalia Cavero Wintruff & José Leomar Fernandes, 2023. "A Review on Life Cycle Assessment of Pavements in Brazil: Evaluating Environmental Impacts and Pavement Performance Integrating the International Roughness Index," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, September.
    3. Taísa Medina & João Luiz Calmon & Darli Vieira & Alencar Bravo & Thalya Vieira, 2023. "Life Cycle Assessment of Road Pavements That Incorporate Waste Reuse: A Systematic Review and Guidelines Proposal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-21, October.
    4. Zeerak Waryam Sajid & Arshad Hussian & Muhammad Umer Amin Khan & Fahad K. Alqahtani & Fahim Ullah, 2024. "Technical, Economic, and Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Reclaimed Asphalt and Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate Pavements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-31, June.
    5. Toniolo, Sara & Mazzi, Anna & Pieretto, Chiara & Scipioni, Antonio, 2017. "Allocation strategies in comparative life cycle assessment for recycling: Considerations from case studies," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 249-261.
    6. Bryce, James & Brodie, Stefanie & Parry, Tony & Lo Presti, Davide, 2017. "A systematic assessment of road pavement sustainability through a review of rating tools," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 108-118.
    7. Huang, T.Y. & Chiueh, P.T. & Lo, S.L., 2017. "Life-cycle environmental and cost impacts of reusing fly ash," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 255-260.
    8. Gislaine Luvizão & Glicério Trichês, 2023. "Case Study on Life Cycle Assessment Applied to Road Restoration Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-26, April.
    9. Anne de Bortoli & Adélaïde Féraille & Fabien Leurent, 2022. "Towards Road Sustainability—Part I: Principles and Holistic Assessment Method for Pavement Maintenance Policies," Post-Print hal-04483847, HAL.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Giani, Martina Irene & Dotelli, Giovanni & Brandini, Nicolò & Zampori, Luca, 2015. "Comparative life cycle assessment of asphalt pavements using reclaimed asphalt, warm mix technology and cold in-place recycling," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 224-238.
    2. Zaumanis, Martins & Mallick, Rajib B. & Frank, Robert, 2014. "100% recycled hot mix asphalt: A review and analysis," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 230-245.
    3. Bryce, James & Brodie, Stefanie & Parry, Tony & Lo Presti, Davide, 2017. "A systematic assessment of road pavement sustainability through a review of rating tools," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 108-118.
    4. Aurangzeb, Qazi & Al-Qadi, Imad L. & Ozer, Hasan & Yang, Rebekah, 2014. "Hybrid life cycle assessment for asphalt mixtures with high RAP content," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 77-86.
    5. Santos, João & Flintsch, Gerardo & Ferreira, Adelino, 2017. "Environmental and economic assessment of pavement construction and management practices for enhancing pavement sustainability," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 15-31.
    6. Anda Ligia Belc & Adrian Ciutina & Raluca Buzatu & Florin Belc & Ciprian Costescu, 2021. "Environmental Impact Assessment of Different Warm Mix Asphalts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-15, October.
    7. Wang, Jianliang & Liu, Mingming & McLellan, Benjamin C. & Tang, Xu & Feng, Lianyong, 2017. "Environmental impacts of shale gas development in China: A hybrid life cycle analysis," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 38-45.
    8. Mayara S. Siverio Lima & Mohsen Hajibabaei & Sina Hesarkazzazi & Robert Sitzenfrei & Alexander Buttgereit & Cesar Queiroz & Viktors Haritonovs & Florian Gschösser, 2021. "Determining the Environmental Potentials of Urban Pavements by Applying the Cradle-to-Cradle LCA Approach for a Road Network of a Midscale German City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-14, November.
    9. Miatto, Alessio & Schandl, Heinz & Wiedenhofer, Dominik & Krausmann, Fridolin & Tanikawa, Hiroki, 2017. "Modeling material flows and stocks of the road network in the United States 1905–2015," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 168-178.
    10. Farina, Angela & Zanetti, Maria Chiara & Santagata, Ezio & Blengini, Gian Andrea, 2017. "Life cycle assessment applied to bituminous mixtures containing recycled materials: Crumb rubber and reclaimed asphalt pavement," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 204-212.
    11. Harvey, John & Kendall, Alissa & Saboori, Arash, 2015. "The Role of Life Cycle Assessment in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Road Construction and Maintenance," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt89w5g2h6, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    12. Chen, Weidong & Wu, Fangyong & Geng, Wenxin & Yu, Guanyi, 2017. "Carbon emissions in China’s industrial sectors," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 117(PB), pages 264-273.
    13. Ahmed Abdalla & Ahmed Faheem & Berk Ayranci, 2022. "The Influence of a New Food Waste Bio-Oil (FWBO) Rejuvenating Agent on Cracking Susceptibility of Aged Binder and RAP," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:104:y:2015:i:pa:p:141-151. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kai Meng (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.