A Review on Role of Pavement Materials on Urban Heat Island Effects

Abstract

AbstractThe present study elucidates the comparison of thermal performance of pavement materials, namely asphalt and concrete. Albedo value of a material is considered to be a crucial parameter to evaluate thermal performance of engineering/natural materials. Experimental investigations reported in the literature suggest, albedo values of concrete pavement to be in the range of 0.25–0.4, whereas the values for asphalt pavement range from 0.05–0.10. The lower albedo value is associated with higher energy absorption and hence higher surface temperature. Based on the albedo values, it has been established that asphalt pavement exhibits higher surface temperature than PCC pavement. Through surface temperature, pavement materials also influence the energy consumption and carbon emissions. The present study highlights the recent advancements towards enhancing the thermal performance of asphalt and concrete pavement. The literature studies confirm that the enhancement in thermal performance of asphalt pavement has been mostly achieved by the application of additives in asphalt and/or utilization of high albedo aggregates. On the contrary, concrete pavement despite being superior in performance as compared to asphalt; fewer studies have attempted to improve the albedo values (viz., better thermal performance) of concrete pavement. The present review summarizes the current state of the art on the role of pavement materials on UHI effects and also suggests future direction towards making cities more sustainable, with lower UHI effects.KeywordsUrban heat islandPavement materialsAlbedoSurface temperatureConcreteAsphalt