Ecological Footprint Assessment of Recycled Asphalt Pavement Construction

Abstract

AbstractThe replacement of bitumen with waste/recycled plastics in asphalt pavement is an effective way to achieve sustainability goals in road construction. The use of waste/recycled plastics in asphalt pavements requires an emphasis on environmental assessment of such asphalt pavements. The study develops a methodology to assess the Ecological Footprint (EF) of asphalt pavement construction. It also evaluates the proposed Sustainable Recycling Index (SRI) of different asphalt pavements based on normalized ecological footprint and cost parameters. In this case study, waste plastic replaced bitumen by the ratios of 10% (w/w), 20% (w/w), 30% (w/w) and 40% (w/w) in the asphalt pavement. The EF of conventional asphalt pavement construction (10 m wide and 1 km with 200 mm thickness) is about 61.78 gha. The EF reduction potential of asphalt pavement construction is 4.1%, 8.2%, 12.3% and 16.4% for 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% of waste plastic used in place of total bitumen in the asphalt pavement, respectively. The SRI of asphalt pavement with 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% waste plastic are about 0.002, 0.007, 0.016 and 0.029, respectively. Hence the replacement of bitumen with waste plastic in asphalt pavement gives significant results, demonstrating that the use of waste plastic in asphalt pavement is ecofriendly and economical.KeywordsEcological footprintAsphalt pavementSustainabilityRecyclingWaste management