Methods, Impacts, and Opportunities in the Concrete Pavement Life Cycle

Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) offers a comprehensive approach to evaluate and improve the environmental impacts of pavements. This research explores and advances three key areas relevant to the pavement LCA field: methodology, quantification, and the supporting science. First, a general pavement LCA methodology is put forth that describes the concepts necessary to develop and conduct a comprehensive pavement LCA. Second, the methodology is applied to the concrete pavement life cycle in order to quantify current emissions, identify opportunities for improvements, and calculate the cost effectiveness of emission reduction strategies. Finally, to improve the supporting science for pavement LCAs, a mechanistic model is developed that relates pavement structural and material properties to vehicle fuel consumption. Development of a standardized pavement LCA framework is essential in order to increase the accuracy and consistency of the LCA approach. This research supports ongoing standardization efforts by proposing good-practice concepts for conducting any pavement LCA. Regardless of an individual project‘s goal and scope, good practice stipulates that pavement LCAs use a comprehensive life-cycle perspective and provide an adequate level of transparency with regards to the data, functional units, and other important LCA parameters. Adopting a life-