Life Cycle Assessment of Road Pavements That Incorporate Waste Reuse: A Systematic Review and Guidelines Proposal

Taísa Medina, João Luiz Calmon, Darli Vieira, Alencar Bravo () and Thalya Vieira
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Taísa Medina: Graduate Program in Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória 29075-910, ES, Brazil
João Luiz Calmon: Graduate Program in Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória 29075-910, ES, Brazil
Darli Vieira: Management Department, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 3351, Boul. des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada
Alencar Bravo: Management Department, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 3351, Boul. des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada
Thalya Vieira: Graduate Program in Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória 29075-910, ES, Brazil

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-21

Abstract: Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology that has been widely used to evaluate the environmental impact of products and processes throughout entire life cycles. In this context, the reuse of waste in paved road construction is a practice that has received increasing attention as a sustainable alternative to solid waste disposal. This article presents a systematic review of existing studies on the LCA of paved roads that incorporate waste reuse and proposes a guideline for LCA in this context. Several criteria were analyzed in the articles, and the results showed that only 5% of the articles followed all the recommendations set out in ISO 14040. The proposed guideline aims to provide guidance for future research and includes recommendations for each of the steps involved in LCA, from defining the objectives and scope of the study to interpreting the results.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; pavement; waste reuse; road; sustainable materials; highway; recycling; industrial byproduct; environmental impact; solid waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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