Life cycle analysis of recycled materials from construction and demolition waste (CDW) provided by transport infrastructures

Abstract

Recycling CDW is the solution for an efficient management in civil engineering works, contributing to the preservation of natural resources. Bound and unbound pavement layers are an option for the use of recycled materials. The recovery of waste produced during pavements life cycle is required due to the present demand and future foreseeable shortage of resources, the need to preserve the environment and the goal of "zero landfill". It is necessary to evaluate the materials that constitute the road pavements to be used in maintenance and rehabilitation operations. Based on the results obtained in a study carried out on a national road, this paper evaluates the quantities and associated costs of CDW produced during the pavement maintenance and rehabilitation and CDW recycling potential as secondary materials for transportation infrastructures taking into consideration the life cycle of the pavement. Given the objectives of a circular economy, the environmental impact of the interventions carried out throughout pavement life cycle is presented, by quantifying the consumed energy and its equivalent as Carbon Footprint (CF). It was concluded that the increase of the CDW recycling rate has a great impact in the budget of pavement rehabilitation, as well as in CO2 emissions.