Interventions in Roadway Engineering to Achieve Carbon Neutrality

Abstract

As an essential part of the highway ecosystem, road plants can absorb much carbon dioxide emitted by operating vehicles. In this study, road plants’ carbon sequestration capacity and carbon neutralization strategy were quantitatively investigated. Firstly, the structure of the asphalt pavement of the expressway was formulated, and the carbon emissions of asphalt pavement at each stage were calculated and analyzed through construction site data monitoring and reference to the life cycle assessment database. Secondly, combined with the theory of carbon sequestration and oxygen release, quantitative analysis was carried out on the photosynthesis of typical green plants, and the carbon sequestration amount of different plant combinations was calculated. Finally, based on the carbon neutralization goal, the time required to complete the carbon emission neutralization in the construction period was proposed. The results show that different plant types have different carbon sequestration and oxygen release capacity for carbon emissions in the road system, and a reasonable combination of plants can greatly reduce the number of years required to complete carbon emissions during the construction period of unit functional roads. This study has great theoretical significance and practical value for reducing carbon emissions and achieving sustainable development.

Optimizing Vegetation Plantation for Carbon Sequestration and Water Consumption: A Case Study on the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway

“…However, ecological benefits related to carbon sequestration are often overlooked, and more research is needed in this area (Dugaya et al, 2020;Liu et al, 2023). Therefore, it is crucial to implement a vegetation allocation strategy that considers both carbon sequestration and water consumption as dual objectives (Dan, 2022;Wang et al, 2024;Yang et al, 2023;Cai et al, 2023).…”