IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i2p594-d308344.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Integrating Circularity in the Sustainability Assessment of Asphalt Mixtures

Author

Listed:
  • Konstantinos Mantalovas

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo 90128, Italy)

  • Gaetano Di Mino

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo 90128, Italy)

Abstract

Rising concerns about the impacts that the road engineering industry is imposing to the environment have redirected national road authorities to firmly re-consider the sustainability implications of their operations. Lately, though, sustainability has established a forceful correlation with the Circular Economy and its principles. The road engineering industry, therefore, is moving towards more circular approaches. However, this is occurring without the assessment of the potential impacts of such a transition. For this reason, in this study, a composite indicator, namely, Environmental Sustainability and Circularity indicator (ESC i ), for investigating the potential effects that increased circularity could have at the environmental sustainability of asphalt mixtures is developed. It can be utilized as a decision-making support tool from stakeholders involved in both asphalt mixture production and road pavement management. In addition, in this study, four asphalt mixtures with different percentages of Reclaimed Asphalt (RA) were assessed in terms of their “cradle-to-gate” environmental impacts and circularity, by means of Life Cycle Assessment, and Material Circularity Index, respectively. Their fatigue and permanent deformation performances play a key role in the assessment and distinctive results obtained for the asphalt mixtures with increasing RA% and thus, significant environmental benefits and increased circularity are observed after specific RA% thresholds.

Suggested Citation

  • Konstantinos Mantalovas & Gaetano Di Mino, 2020. "Integrating Circularity in the Sustainability Assessment of Asphalt Mixtures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:2:p:594-:d:308344
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/2/594/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/2/594/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johann Fellner & Jakob Lederer & Christoph Scharff & David Laner, 2017. "Present Potentials and Limitations of a Circular Economy with Respect to Primary Raw Material Demand," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(3), pages 494-496, June.
    2. Korhonen, Jouni & Wihersaari, Margareta & Savolainen, Ilkka, 2001. "Industrial ecosystem in the Finnish forest industry: using the material and energy flow model of a forest ecosystem in a forest industry system," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 145-161, October.
    3. Konstantinos Mantalovas & Gaetano Di Mino, 2019. "The Sustainability of Reclaimed Asphalt as a Resource for Road Pavement Management through a Circular Economic Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, April.
    4. Marcus Linder & Steven Sarasini & Patricia Loon, 2017. "A Metric for Quantifying Product-Level Circularity," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(3), pages 545-558, June.
    5. Korhonen, Jouni & Honkasalo, Antero & Seppälä, Jyri, 2018. "Circular Economy: The Concept and its Limitations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 37-46.
    6. Mateusz Lewandowski, 2016. "Designing the Business Models for Circular Economy—Towards the Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-28, January.
    7. Joanna Williams, 2019. "Circular Cities: Challenges to Implementing Looping Actions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-22, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kartik Kapoor & Nikhil Sayi Amydala & Anubhav Ambooken & Anne Scheinberg, 2023. "Measuring Circularity in Cities: A Review of the Scholarly and Grey Literature in Search of Evidence-Based, Measurable and Actionable Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-26, September.
    2. Konstantinos Mantalovas & Gaetano Di Mino & Ana Jimenez Del Barco Carrion & Elisabeth Keijzer & Björn Kalman & Tony Parry & Davide Lo Presti, 2020. "European National Road Authorities and Circular Economy: An Insight into Their Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-19, September.
    3. Abokersh, Mohamed Hany & Norouzi, Masoud & Boer, Dieter & Cabeza, Luisa F. & Casa, Gemma & Prieto, Cristina & Jiménez, Laureano & Vallès, Manel, 2021. "A framework for sustainable evaluation of thermal energy storage in circular economy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 686-701.
    4. Ambroise Lachat & Konstantinos Mantalovas & Tiffany Desbois & Oumaya Yazoghli-Marzouk & Anne-Sophie Colas & Gaetano Di Mino & Adélaïde Feraille, 2021. "From Buildings’ End of Life to Aggregate Recycling under a Circular Economic Perspective: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-25, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pamučar, Dragan & Durán-Romero, Gemma & Yazdani, Morteza & López, Ana M., 2023. "A decision analysis model for smart mobility system development under circular economy approach," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    2. Figge, Frank & Thorpe, Andrea Stevenson & Good, Jason, 2021. "Us before me: A group level approach to the circular economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    3. Raphaëlle Stewart & Monia Niero, 2018. "Circular economy in corporate sustainability strategies: A review of corporate sustainability reports in the fast‐moving consumer goods sector," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 1005-1022, November.
    4. Konstantinos Mantalovas & Gaetano Di Mino, 2019. "The Sustainability of Reclaimed Asphalt as a Resource for Road Pavement Management through a Circular Economic Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, April.
    5. Figge, Frank & Thorpe, Andrea Stevenson & Givry, Philippe & Canning, Louise & Franklin-Johnson, Elizabeth, 2018. "Longevity and Circularity as Indicators of Eco-Efficient Resource Use in the Circular Economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 297-306.
    6. Armaghan Chizaryfard & Paolo Trucco & Cali Nuur, 2021. "The transformation to a circular economy: framing an evolutionary view," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 475-504, April.
    7. Li‐Heng Chen & Peiying Hung & Hwong‐wen Ma, 2020. "Integrating circular business models and development tools in the circular economy transition process: A firm‐level framework," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 1887-1898, July.
    8. Mura, Rita & Vicentini, Francesca & Botti, Ludovico Maria & Chiriacò, Maria Vincenza, 2023. "Economic and environmental outcomes of a sustainable and circular approach: Case study of an Italian wine-producing firm," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    9. Jessica Rossi & Augusto Bianchini & Patricia Guarnieri, 2020. "Circular Economy Model Enhanced by Intelligent Assets from Industry 4.0: The Proposition of an Innovative Tool to Analyze Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-22, September.
    10. Fatima Khitous & Fernanda Strozzi & Andrea Urbinati & Fernando Alberti, 2020. "A Systematic Literature Network Analysis of Existing Themes and Emerging Research Trends in Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-24, February.
    11. Saja Kosanović & Mirjana Miletić & Ljubo Marković, 2021. "Energy Refurbishment of Family Houses in Serbia in Line with the Principles of Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-14, May.
    12. Anna Barford & Saffy Rose Ahmad, 2021. "A Call for a Socially Restorative Circular Economy: Waste Pickers in the Recycled Plastics Supply Chain," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    13. Nancy Bocken & Lars Strupeit & Katherine Whalen & Julia Nußholz, 2019. "A Review and Evaluation of Circular Business Model Innovation Tools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-25, April.
    14. Castro-Lopez, Adrian & Iglesias, Victor & Santos-Vijande, María Leticia, 2023. "Organizational capabilities and institutional pressures in the adoption of circular economy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    15. Andrea Cecchin & Roberta Salomone & Pauline Deutz & Andrea Raggi & Laura Cutaia, 2021. "What Is in a Name? The Rising Star of the Circular Economy as a Resource-Related Concept for Sustainable Development," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    16. Chembessi Chedrak & Gohoungodji Paulin & Juste Rajaonson, 2023. "“A fine wine, better with age”: Circular economy historical roots and influential publications: A bibliometric analysis using Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS)," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(6), pages 1593-1612, December.
    17. Massimiliano Borrello & Stefano Pascucci & Luigi Cembalo, 2020. "Three Propositions to Unify Circular Economy Research: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-22, May.
    18. Iniobong Beauty John & Samuel A. Adekunle & Clinton O. Aigbavboa, 2023. "Adoption of Circular Economy by Construction Industry SMEs: Organisational Growth Transition Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-13, March.
    19. Gilbert Silvius & Aydan Ismayilova & Vicente Sales-Vivó & Micol Costi, 2021. "Exploring Barriers for Circularity in the EU Furniture Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-25, October.
    20. Wisdom Kanda & Martin Geissdoerfer & Olof Hjelm, 2021. "From circular business models to circular business ecosystems," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(6), pages 2814-2829, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:2:p:594-:d:308344. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.