Life Cycle Assessment of Natural Zeolite-Based Warm Mix Asphalt and Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

Abstract

Today, an important part of paved surfaces in the world uses asphalt mixtures. This practice increases the use of aggregates and fossil fuels, the availability of which is limited. Most of the studies referring to asphalt mixtures reported and compared the mechanical performances without detailing the environmental impacts of the different technologies proposed. The objective of this study was to present and compare through a life cycle assessment using a “cradle-to-gate” approach of different types of asphalt mixtures designed for the same performance, hot mix asphalt (HMA) as a control sample, and warm mix asphalt (WMA) using natural zeolite, Evotherm® and reclaimed asphalt material (RAP) in different proportions. The analysis was performed using SimaPro 9 software, using the ReCiPe method version 1.11. For the comparison of the environmental impacts, 1 ton of asphalt mixture was used as a functional unit. The most relevant results show that the use of natural zeolite or Evotherm® helps to reduce environmental impacts. In the global warming impact category, the decrease between the standard HMA and a mix with RAP and natural zeolite was 8%, while in the fossil fuel depletion, the decrease was 13%.