A Top-Down Approach Based on the Circularity Potential to Increase the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt
Resource depletion and climate change, amongst others, are increasingly worrying environmental challenges for which the road engineering sector is a major contributor. Globally, viable solutions that comply with the principles of circular economy (CE) are being investigated that can replace conventi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Infrastructures |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/8/5/83 |
| _version_ | 1797599728362323968 |
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| author | Konstantinos Mantalovas Iain Peter Dunn Francesco Acuto Vineesh Vijayan Laura Inzerillo Gaetano Di Mino |
| author_facet | Konstantinos Mantalovas Iain Peter Dunn Francesco Acuto Vineesh Vijayan Laura Inzerillo Gaetano Di Mino |
| author_sort | Konstantinos Mantalovas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Resource depletion and climate change, amongst others, are increasingly worrying environmental challenges for which the road engineering sector is a major contributor. Globally, viable solutions that comply with the principles of circular economy (CE) are being investigated that can replace conventional asphalt mixtures in a post-fossil fuel society. The use of reclaimed asphalt (RA) is a widely used and well-established method to reduce the environmental and economic impacts of asphalt mixtures while increasing their circularity. However, RA’s market supply and demand have not yet been systematically analyzed and established. Moreover, the actual circularity potential and the opportunity of re-circulating RA in a closed-loop model have not yet been methodically defined. To address this, a three-layered framework to quantify and assess the circularity potential (Ω) of RA has been developed. To give stakeholders and legislative bodies a simple method to assess the opportunities available to them to become “more circular”, a novel equation has been formulated. This takes the form of a three-level indicator that considers: technical aspects, the effect of the RA market, and the legislative restrictions. A case study in Germany was structured and undertaken to develop and verify the proposed approach. The results indicate that the available RA is insufficient to cover the needs of asphalt mixture production; even though RA production is significantly lower than the actual need of asphalt mixtures, it is not utilized in its entirety. An impactful step forward is the alteration of the regulations to support the higher utilization of RA in asphalt mixtures, and subsequently, the increased circular opportunity and potential of RA. Thus, Circularity potential (Ω) is a composite indicator that can support stakeholders, designers, and asset managers during the process of decision-making, to follow more circular operational, design, and asphalt pavement management patterns. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:38:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-44095dbd5a5241738093b86ca730bc41 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2412-3811 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:38:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Infrastructures |
| spelling | doaj.art-44095dbd5a5241738093b86ca730bc412023-11-18T01:48:22ZengMDPI AGInfrastructures2412-38112023-04-01858310.3390/infrastructures8050083A Top-Down Approach Based on the Circularity Potential to Increase the Use of Reclaimed AsphaltKonstantinos Mantalovas0Iain Peter Dunn1Francesco Acuto2Vineesh Vijayan3Laura Inzerillo4Gaetano Di Mino5Department of Engineering (DIING), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Engineering (DIING), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Engineering (DIING), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Engineering (DIING), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Engineering (DIING), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Engineering (DIING), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyResource depletion and climate change, amongst others, are increasingly worrying environmental challenges for which the road engineering sector is a major contributor. Globally, viable solutions that comply with the principles of circular economy (CE) are being investigated that can replace conventional asphalt mixtures in a post-fossil fuel society. The use of reclaimed asphalt (RA) is a widely used and well-established method to reduce the environmental and economic impacts of asphalt mixtures while increasing their circularity. However, RA’s market supply and demand have not yet been systematically analyzed and established. Moreover, the actual circularity potential and the opportunity of re-circulating RA in a closed-loop model have not yet been methodically defined. To address this, a three-layered framework to quantify and assess the circularity potential (Ω) of RA has been developed. To give stakeholders and legislative bodies a simple method to assess the opportunities available to them to become “more circular”, a novel equation has been formulated. This takes the form of a three-level indicator that considers: technical aspects, the effect of the RA market, and the legislative restrictions. A case study in Germany was structured and undertaken to develop and verify the proposed approach. The results indicate that the available RA is insufficient to cover the needs of asphalt mixture production; even though RA production is significantly lower than the actual need of asphalt mixtures, it is not utilized in its entirety. An impactful step forward is the alteration of the regulations to support the higher utilization of RA in asphalt mixtures, and subsequently, the increased circular opportunity and potential of RA. Thus, Circularity potential (Ω) is a composite indicator that can support stakeholders, designers, and asset managers during the process of decision-making, to follow more circular operational, design, and asphalt pavement management patterns.https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/8/5/83circular economyreclaimed asphaltclosed-loopend of wasteasphaltmaterial circularity indicator |
| spellingShingle | Konstantinos Mantalovas Iain Peter Dunn Francesco Acuto Vineesh Vijayan Laura Inzerillo Gaetano Di Mino A Top-Down Approach Based on the Circularity Potential to Increase the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt Infrastructures circular economy reclaimed asphalt closed-loop end of waste asphalt material circularity indicator |
| title | A Top-Down Approach Based on the Circularity Potential to Increase the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt |
| title_full | A Top-Down Approach Based on the Circularity Potential to Increase the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt |
| title_fullStr | A Top-Down Approach Based on the Circularity Potential to Increase the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Top-Down Approach Based on the Circularity Potential to Increase the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt |
| title_short | A Top-Down Approach Based on the Circularity Potential to Increase the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt |
| title_sort | top down approach based on the circularity potential to increase the use of reclaimed asphalt |
| topic | circular economy reclaimed asphalt closed-loop end of waste asphalt material circularity indicator |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/8/5/83 |
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