Abstract
In China, the construction of asphalt pavement has a significant impact on the environment, and energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from asphalt pavement construction have been receiving increasing attention in recent years. At present, there is no universal criterion for the evaluation of GHG emissions in asphalt pavement construction. This paper proposes to define the system boundaries for GHG emissions from asphalt pavement by using a process-based life cycle assessment method. A method for evaluating GHG emissions from asphalt pavement construction is suggested. The paper reports a case study of GHG emissions from a typical asphalt pavement construction project in China. The results show that the greenhouse gas emissions from the mixture mixing phase are the highest, and account for about 54% of the total amount. The second highest GHG emission phase is the production of raw materials. For GHG emissions of cement stabilized base/subbase, the production of raw materials emits the most, about 98%. The GHG emission for cement production alone is about 92%. The results indicate that any measures to reduce GHG emissions from asphalt pavement construction should be focused on the raw materials manufacturing stage. If the raw materials production phase is excluded, the measures to reduce GHG emissions should be aimed at the mixture mixing phase.
Highlights
As the Chinese highway system continues to grow in mileage and traffic volume, it is important to construct highways sustainably and with low environmental impact
There is a lack of suitable evaluation criteria and benchmark figures in China for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from asphalt pavement construction
This study focuses on the GHG emissions of asphalt pavement construction
Summary
As the Chinese highway system continues to grow in mileage and traffic volume, it is important to construct highways sustainably and with low environmental impact. In China, the highway network is 4.5 million km in length, wherein the length of expressways is 111,900 km. Asphalt pavement is predominantly used, accounting for over 90%, compared to cement concrete pavement. The manufacture of the raw materials and construction of asphalt pavements consumes a lot of energy and emits large quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Since the first expressway was built in China in the 1990s, the total expressway length has increased quickly up to the current 111,900 km by the end of 2014. Due to the increasing use of asphalt highways in China, the rapid growth of energy consumption and GHG emissions from its construction has caused public concern, making it necessary to assess the related environment impacts. There is a lack of suitable evaluation criteria and benchmark figures in China for GHG emissions generated from asphalt pavement construction
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