ABSTRACT
With growing highway mileages in China, the application of sustainable pavement construction and rehabilitation materials has increased. In recent decades, more and more reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) materials have been generated and used as a replacement of virgin aggregate and binder in the production of new hot mix asphalt (HMA). It is therefore important to evaluate and compare the potential life cycle environmental benefits of incorporating RAP in asphalt paving mixtures. In this study, a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis is conducted to compare the carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption of recycled asphalt mixtures containing RAP in five highway agency related life cycle phases, including raw material production, transportation, mixed material production, construction, and recycling. A case study is performed for a motorway in Xuzhou, China, to demonstrate the magnitude of the potential environmental benefits of choosing RAP over conventional HMA. It is found that the utilization of RAP can save approximately 13% of the energy consumed and 11% carbon dioxide emitted, compared to virgin HMA.
