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Determining the Environmental Potentials of Urban Pavements by Applying the Cradle-to-Cradle LCA Approach for a Road Network of a Midscale German City

Author

Listed:
  • Mayara S. Siverio Lima

    (Department of Structural Engineering and Material Sciences, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria)

  • Mohsen Hajibabaei

    (Department of Infrastructure Engineering, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria)

  • Sina Hesarkazzazi

    (Department of Infrastructure Engineering, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria)

  • Robert Sitzenfrei

    (Department of Infrastructure Engineering, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria)

  • Alexander Buttgereit

    (Department of Mobility and Civil Engineering of Münster, 48155 Münster, Germany)

  • Cesar Queiroz

    (The World Bank, Washington, DC 20433, USA)

  • Viktors Haritonovs

    (Department of Roads and Bridges, Riga Technical University, LV-1658 Riga, Latvia)

  • Florian Gschösser

    (Department of Structural Engineering and Material Sciences, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria)

Abstract

This study used a cradle-to-cradle Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to evaluate the environmental potentials of urban pavements. For this purpose, the urban road network of the City of Münster (Germany) was selected as the case study, and comprehensive data for several phases were collected. The entire road network is composed of flexible pavements designed according to specific traffic loads and consists of main roads (MRs), main access roads (MARs), and residential roads (RSDTs). Asphalt materials, pavement structures, and maintenance strategies are predefined for each type of road and are referred to as “traditional” herein. Some pavement structures have two possible maintenance strategies, denoted by “A” and “B”, with distinguished periods of intervention. To evaluate the impact of using recycled materials, we considered alternative pavement structures composed of asphalt materials containing a greater amount of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). The study was carried out considering analysis periods of 20, 50, 80, and 100 years and using two indicators: non-renewable cumulative energy demand (nr-CED) and global warming potential (GWP). The results show that the use of higher amounts of RAP can mitigate negative environmental impacts and that certain structures and maintenance strategies potentially enhance the environmental performance of road pavements. This article suggests initiatives that will facilitate the decision-making process of city administrators to achieve more sustainable road pavement constructions and provides an essential dataset inventory to support future environmental assessment studies, particularly for European cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Mayara S. Siverio Lima & Mohsen Hajibabaei & Sina Hesarkazzazi & Robert Sitzenfrei & Alexander Buttgereit & Cesar Queiroz & Viktors Haritonovs & Florian Gschösser, 2021. "Determining the Environmental Potentials of Urban Pavements by Applying the Cradle-to-Cradle LCA Approach for a Road Network of a Midscale German City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-14, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:22:p:12487-:d:677410
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Aurangzeb, Qazi & Al-Qadi, Imad L. & Ozer, Hasan & Yang, Rebekah, 2014. "Hybrid life cycle assessment for asphalt mixtures with high RAP content," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 77-86.
    2. Santos, João & Flintsch, Gerardo & Ferreira, Adelino, 2017. "Environmental and economic assessment of pavement construction and management practices for enhancing pavement sustainability," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 15-31.
    3. David Llopis-Castelló & Tatiana García-Segura & Laura Montalbán-Domingo & Amalia Sanz-Benlloch & Eugenio Pellicer, 2020. "Influence of Pavement Structure, Traffic, and Weather on Urban Flexible Pavement Deterioration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Mayara S. Siverio Lima & Mohsen Hajibabaei & Sina Hesarkazzazi & Robert Sitzenfrei & Alexander Buttgereit & Cesar Queiroz & Arnold Tautschnig & Florian Gschösser, 2020. "Environmental Potentials of Asphalt Materials Applied to Urban Roads: Case Study of the City of Münster," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-19, July.
    5. Giampiero Trunzo & Laura Moretti & Antonio D’Andrea, 2019. "Life Cycle Analysis of Road Construction and Use," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-13, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Taísa Medina & João Luiz Calmon & Darli Vieira & Alencar Bravo & Thalya Vieira, 2023. "Life Cycle Assessment of Road Pavements That Incorporate Waste Reuse: A Systematic Review and Guidelines Proposal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-21, October.
    2. Mayara Sarisariyama Siverio Lima & Christina Makoundou & Cesare Sangiorgi & Florian Gschösser, 2022. "Life Cycle Assessment of Innovative Asphalt Mixtures Made with Crumb Rubber for Impact-Absorbing Pavements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-12, November.
    3. Lukas Hausberger & Tobias Cordes & Florian Gschösser, 2023. "Life Cycle Assessment of High-Performance Railway Infrastructure, Analysis of Superstructures in Tunnels and on Open Tracks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-18, April.
    4. Xiaochen Zhang & Xinyu Liu & Yang Zhang & Xing Xu & Jiaxin Xiao & Ding-Bang Luh, 2023. "Assessing the Feasibility of Practical Cradle to Cradle in Sustainable Conceptual Product Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-32, April.

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