Carbon emissions quantification and different models comparison throughout the life cycle of asphalt pavements

Abstract

Establishing a comprehensive and systematic method for quantifying carbon emissions (CEs) of asphalt pavement is challenging due to the multifaceted and diverse nature of the involved processes. Utilizing a life cycle assessment framework, this study introduces a practical model system for capturing CEs across the entire lifespan of asphalt pavement. A pivotal aspect of our approach involves calculating activity levels. Material quantities are ascertained based on mixture proportions and specific pavement information. We employ Ridge Regression and the quota method to approximate the energy consumption of construction machinery. A comparative analysis is performed between two CE computation models that use energy consumption and operational time as activity levels, respectively. Additional vehicle fuel consumption is translated based on shifts in the International Roughness Index, as predicted by the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide. CEs from traffic disruptions are calculated collaboratively through VISSIM simulations and MOVES emission modeling. Our findings reveal that material production, mixture preparation, and maintenance duration are the principal factors contributing to CEs throughout the asphalt pavement lifecycle. Notably, emission estimates for machinery in the construction phase can vary by as much as 8.3 times across different models. The study suggests that incorporating the use of recyclable materials and designing more durable pavement structures can offer effective avenues for CE mitigation.