Environmental Benefits of a Cleaner Engineering Asphalt Pavement Technology Incorporating Recycled Tire Rubber and Warm Mix Additives

Description

Environmental Benefits of a Cleaner Engineering Asphalt Pavement Technology Incorporating Recycled Tire Rubber and Warm Mix Additives

Ana María Rodríguez-Alloza, Daniel Garraín

Departamento de Ingeniería Civil, Náutica y Marítima, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL); Energy Department, Energy Systems Analysis Unit (CIEMAT).

Avenida Ángel Guimerá Jorge, s/n, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, 38200; Av. Complutense, 40, Moncloa – Aravaca, 28040 Madrid

; daniel.garrain@ciemat.es

ABSTRACT.

Amid growing climate pressures, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has become a critical priority across all sectors, including road construction. Pavements, as resource-intensive infrastructure, offer significant opportunities to mitigate environmental impacts through innovative materials and production techniques. This study evaluates the environmental performance of a road that incorporates recycled tire crumb rubber (CR) and warm mix asphalt (WMA) additive (CR+WMA road) compared to a conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement (HMA road). A comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), following ISO 14040/44 standards, quantifies impacts across raw material extraction, production, transport, construction, maintenance, and end-of-life, while accounting for different service life scenarios.

Results reveal consistent environmental advantages for the CR+WMA road across all sixteen impact categories, with climate change impacts reduced by up to 35–60% relative to HMA road, depending on service life. Overall, these benefits stem from the lower WMA production temperatures, partial bitumen substitution with recycled crumb rubber, and extended service life (30 years versus 20 years) of the CR+WMA pavement, which reduces the need for resource- and energy-intensive maintenance interventions.

The findings demonstrate the potential of CR+WMA technology to advance circular economy practices and significantly reduce the carbon footprint of road infrastructure, supporting its adoption as a sustainable engineering solution.

KEYWORDS: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA), recycled tire rubber, rubberized asphalt, climate change mitigation, sustainable pavements, energy efficiency, circular economy.