Reducing the environmental impact of concrete and asphalt: a scenario approach

In this paper, measures are evaluated to reduce the environmental impact of concrete and asphalt. Several composition scenarios are designed for these materials and are evaluated based on their environmental performance using life-cycle assessment (LCA). The effect of low-energy production techniques and the application of secondary materials are quantified. The ReCiPe endpoint assessment method is used in order to compare the scenarios. The evaluated concrete-mixes point out that the highest potential for improvement can be realized through application of alternative cement types. The scenarios show a maximum reduction of 39% in environmental impact. The most substantial impact reduction in asphalt can be realized through application of warm-mix asphalt (WMA) instead of hot-mix asphalt (HMA). This yields a reduction of about 33%.

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