Assessment of the environmental impact of road construction: Modelling and prediction of fine particulate matter emissions

Giunta, Marinella

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106865

Cited by 37 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The main contributor to the social impact over the life cycle (modules A-C excluding B8) was shown to be the indicator particulate matter emissions for both concepts. This is, in part, because of the large weight given to this indicator, but also because construction activities are significant sources of particulate matter emissions, for example, when crushing aggregates [28,29]. For the CSF bridge, the indicator "human toxicity-cancer effects" was also shown to contribute to a large portion of the social impact.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Sustainability Performance Assessment Method for Comparison of Civil Engineering Works Design Concepts: Case Study of a Bridge

Mathern

Rempling

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Standardized and transparent life cycle sustainability performance assessment methods are essential for improving the sustainability of civil engineering works. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of using a life cycle sustainability assessment method in a road bridge case study. The method is in line with requirements of relevant standards, uses life cycle assessment, life cycle costs and incomes, and environmental externalities, and applies normalization and weighting of indicators. The case study involves a short-span bridge in a design-build infrastructure project, which was selected for its generality. Two bridge design concepts are assessed and compared: a concrete slab frame bridge and a soil-steel composite bridge. Data available in the contractor’s tender phase are used. The two primary aims of this study are (1) to analyse the practical application potential of the method in carrying out transparent sustainability assessments of design concepts in the early planning and design stages, and (2) to examine the results obtained in the case study to identify indicators in different life cycle stages and elements of the civil engineering works project with the largest impacts on sustainability. The results show that the method facilitates comparisons of the life cycle sustainability performance of design concepts at the indicator and construction element levels, enabling better-informed and more impartial design decisions to be made.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Sustainability Performance Assessment Method for Comparison of Civil Engineering Works Design Concepts: Case Study of a Bridge

Mathern

Rempling

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…A list of some recent studies related to the life cycle sustainability assessment of road projects is presented in Table 1. Studies focusing on the environmental aspects only are mainly related to pavement material selection [15,17], or pavement maintenance strategies [19,20,26]. Few other studies incorporated the economic criteria along with the environment for project evaluation [20,25].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Road Infrastructure Projects: A Life Cycle Sustainability-Based Decision-Making Approach

et al. 2021

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Economic growth, social wellbeing, and infrastructure are strongly interrelated and jointly contribute to national development. Therefore, evaluation and selection of a road infrastructure project direly need a comprehensive sustainability assessment integrating holistic decision criteria. This study presents an elaborate life cycle sustainability-based project evaluation tool, comprising an assessment framework, an integration model, and a decision framework. In the first phase, a life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) framework for road infrastructure is established using mixed methods. In the second phase, interviews are conducted to obtain pairwise comparisons among impact categories and subjective reasoning of their priorities. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is adopted to develop the LCSA integration model. The minimum threshold limits of impact categories are evaluated and integrated into the proposed decision framework. Further, thematic and cross-sectional analyses are performed on the interview findings to rationalize the proposed decision framework. The findings include a detailed and customized project assessment framework, an integration model, and a decision framework for the assessment of different project alternatives. This study helps policy- and decision-makers in selecting the project alternative by maximizing sustainability in road infrastructure projects. Insights into environmental and social externalities and their quantitative interpretation throughout the life of the road are also achieved.

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“…During construction, the site activities such as material production and transportation, equipment and machineries, and excavation and earthmoving release into the atmosphere a large amount of pollutants [9,10]. Off-road machines, which are diesel-powered, are a significant font of direct air emissions such as carbon oxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), and particular matter (PM).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that off-road diesel equipment is the third 2 of 14 largest source of NO x emissions from mobile fonts (14.5%) and the second largest source of PM (24.3%). Significant sources of PM emission are also the transits of trucks on unpaved roads, the aggregate crushing, and the storage of excavated materials [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this way, it is possible to provide accurately indications in the development of effective strategies for pollution control and air quality management at roadsides for the aim of making the pollutants concentration tolerable and complying with the regulations. Previous papers reporting the results on the on-going research focused on the detailed analysis of the amount of emissions deriving from construction of the motorway [9] and on the study of the dispersion of concentration of PM 10 emissions nearby the worksites [10]. The present paper takes into account also the traffic-related emissions during the operational phase for a comprehensive evaluation of the air emissions of a motorway and in order to quantify the real impact of the two road life steps on the air quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of the Impact of CO, NOx and PM10 on Air Quality during Road Construction and Operation Phases

Giunta

2020

Sustainability

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The road sector is one of the main sources of air emissions in the atmosphere during both construction and operation. The objective of the present paper is a comprehensive evaluation of the impact on air quality during the two main phases of life cycle of roads. In this case study of a motorway project, the emissions of the primary pollutants, CO, NOx, and PM10 are estimated, and the results showed that (i) CO and NOx pollutants released during both phases are comparable, while the emissions of PM10 are more significant in the construction phase; (ii) 85% of PM10 in construction is due to storage, transit on unpaved road, and crushing; (iii) the portals of the tunnel are the sites where there are higher concentrations of pollutants in operation; and (iv) the CO concentrations estimated by the dispersion model are strongly influenced by the topography.

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Assessment of the environmental impact of road construction: Modelling and prediction of fine particulate matter emissions

Cited by 37 publications

References 28 publications

Life Cycle Sustainability Performance Assessment Method for Comparison of Civil Engineering Works Design Concepts: Case Study of a Bridge

Life Cycle Sustainability Performance Assessment Method for Comparison of Civil Engineering Works Design Concepts: Case Study of a Bridge

Evaluation of Road Infrastructure Projects: A Life Cycle Sustainability-Based Decision-Making Approach

Assessment of the Impact of CO, NOx and PM10 on Air Quality during Road Construction and Operation Phases

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