Life cycle assessment of road construction alternative materials: A literature review

Balaguera, Alejandra; Carvajal, Gloria Isabel; Albertí, Jaume; Fullana–i–Palmer, Pere

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.01.003

Cited by 190 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Consequently, new techniques and research have developed to use the CDW as a NA replacement [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Great advantages are obtained from the use of CDW as a partial or total replacement of NA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Partial Coarse Fraction Substitution of Natural Aggregate by Recycled Concrete Aggregate in Hot Asphalt Mixtures

et al. 2019

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The main objective of this work is to evaluate the properties of hot asphalt mixtures that have been manufactured with different recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) percentages (0%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% of the fraction 5–13 mm) and asphalt (4%, 4.5% and 5%). Dense asphalt mixtures were made; partially replacing the natural aggregate (NA) fraction between 5 and 13 mm. Marshall specimens were manufactured to determine the main properties of the asphalt concrete (AC) in terms of density, voids, stability and deformation. Additionally, the optimal asphalt content (OAC) was determined, and measured the water sensibility, the stiffness modulus and the permanent deformation. The results corroborate the potential for using these sources of construction and demolition waste (CDW) as a RCA in asphalt concrete and show that the hot asphalt mixtures with up to 40% substitution of natural aggregate by recycled aggregate in the fraction 5–13 mm present good behavior.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Partial Coarse Fraction Substitution of Natural Aggregate by Recycled Concrete Aggregate in Hot Asphalt Mixtures

et al. 2019

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“…Thus, to assess the global warming potential environmental impact, GHGs were characterized as CO 2 -e with weightings of 34 and 298 for methane and nitrous oxide, respectively, corresponding to a 100-year radiative forcing potential. GWP and energy consumption are the most commonly assessed environmental impact categories in the construction sector [72].…”

Section: Life Cycle Impact Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Economic Life Cycle Analysis of Primary Construction Materials Sourcing under Geopolitical Uncertainties: A Case Study of Qatar

2019

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Environmental and economic cycles under varying geopolitical uncertainties can lead to unsustainable patterns that significantly and negatively affect the welfare of nations. With the ever-increasing negative environmental and economic impacts, the ability to achieve sustainability is hindered if the implications are not properly assessed in challenging geopolitical crises. The infrequent and fluctuating nature of these challenging geopolitical settings causes disregard and neglect for exploration within this issue. In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment was conducted as a method to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of construction material flow across country boundaries. Based on the results found from the life cycle assessment, an environmental forecast and sensitivity analysis were established. Considering the State of Qatar as a case study, asphalt and bitumen, cement, limestone, sand, and steel were analyzed from gate-to-gate depending on transportation mode and distances used within both the pre-crisis and post-crisis sub-periods, comparing carbon emissions and costs. The results showed that the mode of transport plays a significant role in terms of carbon dioxide emissions as opposed to distance traveled. However, the increase in distance coupled to the majority shift from land to sea-based transport resulted in an overall increase in carbon emissions and costs post-crisis. In addition, the analysis of the environmental and economic impact assessment using the average CO2 equivalent (CO2-e) per kilogram and the unit price of the five primary construction materials has shown a significant, 70.68% increase in global warming potentials (GWP) after the crisis, coupled with an increase in the overall cost. An assessment of environmental and economic impacts during geopolitical uncertainties allows for the significant ability to realize sustainable measures to greatly reduce economic and environmental degradation.

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“…Four criteria are proposed to assess the life cycle impacts of road construction: Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), Carbon footprint (CF), recycled and re-used content, and Low emissions from transport of heavy materials. The listed criteria have decreasing levels of ambition and technical complexity: in literature the most frequently adopted frameworks are LCIA and CF [10][11][12][13]. LCIA is a holistic assessment tool which considers different environmental impacts (e.g., acidification, eutrophication, abiotic depletion), while CF only evaluates the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions of road processes: CF is the result of a partial LCIA implementation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Analysis of Road Construction and Use

2019

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Both the construction and use of roads have a range of environmental impacts; therefore, it is important to assess the sources of their burdens to adopt correct mitigation policies. Life cycle analysis (LCA) is a useful method to obtain demonstrable, accurate and non-misleading information for decision-making experts. The study presents a "cradle to gate with options" LCA of a provincial road during 60 year-service life. Input data derive from the bill of quantity of the project and their impacts have been evaluated according to the European standard EN 15804. The study considers the impacts of the construction and maintenance stages, lighting, and use of the vehicles on the built road. The results obtained from a SimaPro model highlight that the almost half of impacts took place during the construction stage rather than the use stage. Therefore, the adoption of environmentally friendly road planning procedures, the use of low-impact procedures in the production of materials, and the use of secondary raw materials could have the largest potential for reducing environmental impacts.

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Life cycle assessment of road construction alternative materials: A literature review

Cited by 190 publications

References 62 publications

Influence of Partial Coarse Fraction Substitution of Natural Aggregate by Recycled Concrete Aggregate in Hot Asphalt Mixtures

Influence of Partial Coarse Fraction Substitution of Natural Aggregate by Recycled Concrete Aggregate in Hot Asphalt Mixtures

Environmental and Economic Life Cycle Analysis of Primary Construction Materials Sourcing under Geopolitical Uncertainties: A Case Study of Qatar

Life Cycle Analysis of Road Construction and Use

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