By Dr. Mark Buncher, Ph.D., P.E.

In March 2019, the Asphalt Institute (AI) released its industry average life cycle assessment (LCA) report on asphalt binder produced in North America. The study was conducted by Thinkstep AG, an international consulting firm well-known for its expertise in sustainability and life cycle assessment.

Not to be confused with life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) that only examines costs, LCA is a science-based method to quantify the environmental impacts of products, accounting for burdens throughout the supply chain of a given product. LCA is governed by international standards ISO 14040 and 14044.

RAP • RAS • Rejuvenators
Economics • Environmental Sustainability
• Engineering Performance

By Amy E. Martin, Ph. D.

What motivates the continuing increased use of recycled materials in asphalt pavements?

According to the National Asphalt Pavement Association NAPA) in 2017, it was a savings of over $2 billion and a 99 percent recycling rate of approximately 76 million tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). Recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) are also utilized by some states with approximately one million tons recycled in 2017.