Energy Consumption and Carbon Emission Analysis of Typical Regeneration Methods for Asphalt Pavements

Abstract

A quantitative evaluation was conducted on the energy consumption and carbon emissions during the asphalt pavement regeneration process, and the energy consumption and emission ratios during the construction and raw material production stages of the cold and hot regeneration process were obtained. This study applies the theory of life cycle assessment to propose an evaluation framework and calculation method suitable for quantitatively evaluating the environmental impact of the asphalt pavement regeneration process. Firstly, based on the life cycle evaluation theory, the evaluation framework and calculation method applicable to the quantitative study of the environmental impact of asphalt pavement regeneration processes are discussed, and the calculation formulae for the comprehensive energy consumption and comprehensive carbon emission of asphalt pavement regeneration are derived. It is found that the energy consumption and emission in the hot regeneration process account for 50~70% of the total process in the construction stage, and 50~65% of the total process in the cold regeneration process in the raw material production stage. Compared with the milling and resurfacing process, the energy consumption and carbon emission of the asphalt pavement regeneration process are reduced by about 16~66%, and the carbon emission is reduced by about 14~53%, so the energy saving and emission reduction benefits are more significant. The amount of RAP mixing, transportation distance of raw materials and pavement regeneration depth have a great influence on the energy consumption and emission of pavement regeneration. It can provide scientific guidance for the quantitative evaluation of the environmental impact of asphalt pavement regeneration, with a view to providing energy-saving and emission reduction level data support for technology improvement and engineering decisions.