Comparative life cycle assessment of warm mix asphalt with recycled concrete aggregates: A Colombian case study

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents the results of a comparative life cycle assessment undertaken to compare the potential environmental impacts associated with the use of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) as a partial replacement of natural aggregates in the production of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA), with those of a conventional Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA). Laboratory testing results were used as inputs in a pavement design software with the purpose of designing several pavement structures with different percentages of RCA and according to the typical Colombian pavement design conditions. Primary data was collected from several companies in the northern region of Colombia. The SimaPro 8.4.0 software was used for modeling the processes analyzed in the case study and all the life cycle inputs and outputs related to the functional unit were characterized during the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase into potential impacts according to the impact assessment methodology TRACI v.2.1. The LCIA results of the case study showed that the use of WMA with RCA as a replacement of coarse natural aggregates leads to a deterioration of the environmental profile of the pavement structures.