Sustainable Pavement Design: LCA perspective & biogenic - A comprehensive analysis of environmental impact in infrastructure construction

This study examines the environmental impacts of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA), produced at 180 °C at 140 °C, respectively. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed with a cradle-to-gate approach. The findings of this study revealed a notable advantage of WMA, with CO2 equivalent emissions being 14 % lower compared to HMA. This stems from a reduced production temperature, which allows a significant enhancement of the environmental sustainability of pavements containing WMA. Furthermore, the research investigated the environmental implications of integrating biogenic materials (such as biodiesel) into infrastructure construction practices, with the specific purpose of mitigating ecological impacts. By employing the LCA methodology, this study thoroughly evaluates the benefits of employing biodiesel in the plant-production of asphalt mixtures, highlighting substantial reductions in CO2 equivalent emissions, which were found to be of the order of 50 %.