Life Cycle Assessment of a Sustainable and Innovative Solution for Unpaved Rural Roads

The use of recycled aggregates, including waste materials and by-products, has attracted increasing interest in the last decades as a sustainable and cost-effective solution for the construction and maintenance of road pavements, due to the reduction of excavation operations and depletion of natural resources. Life cycle assessment (LCA) represents a valuable methodology for the evaluation of the environmental sustainability of technologies involving the use of such materials. This paper deals with the LCA of an innovative emulsion-based cold recycled mixture specifically conceived to be used as a sustainable solution for the surface finishing of unpaved rural roads. Two scenarios entailing the employment of recycled or virgin materials were analyzed with the assessment of global warming potential (GWP), energy requirement, and water consumption. Results obtained confirmed that the scenario entailing the use of recycled materials represents the most sustainable and environmentally friendly solution.