Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Asphalt Pavement Construction: A Case Study in China

Feng Ma, Aimin Sha, Ruiyu Lin, Yue Huang and Chao Wang
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Feng Ma: Key Laboratory Special Area Highway Engineering of Ministry of Education , Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Aimin Sha: Key Laboratory Special Area Highway Engineering of Ministry of Education , Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Ruiyu Lin: Key Laboratory Special Area Highway Engineering of Ministry of Education , Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Yue Huang: School of Civil Engineering, Liverpool John Moores University, Peter Jost Enterprise Centre, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
Chao Wang: Key Laboratory Special Area Highway Engineering of Ministry of Education , Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: In China, the construction of asphalt pavement has a significant impact on the environment, and energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from asphalt pavement construction have been receiving increasing attention in recent years. At present, there is no universal criterion for the evaluation of GHG emissions in asphalt pavement construction. This paper proposes to define the system boundaries for GHG emissions from asphalt pavement by using a process-based life cycle assessment method. A method for evaluating GHG emissions from asphalt pavement construction is suggested. The paper reports a case study of GHG emissions from a typical asphalt pavement construction project in China. The results show that the greenhouse gas emissions from the mixture mixing phase are the highest, and account for about 54% of the total amount. The second highest GHG emission phase is the production of raw materials. For GHG emissions of cement stabilized base/subbase, the production of raw materials emits the most, about 98%. The GHG emission for cement production alone is about 92%. The results indicate that any measures to reduce GHG emissions from asphalt pavement construction should be focused on the raw materials manufacturing stage. If the raw materials production phase is excluded, the measures to reduce GHG emissions should be aimed at the mixture mixing phase.

Keywords: asphalt pavements; greenhouse gas; environmental impacts; construction process (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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