Recycling asphalt has just gotten better
When roads across Europe become unusable with age, their asphalt must be renewed. Proper asphalt recycling is crucial to maintain sustainable road transport and minimise waste, especially since recycled asphalt reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions significantly. The EU-funded project 'Re-road - end of life strategies of asphalt pavements' (RE-ROAD) is improving end-of-life strategies for asphalt road infrastructures. To achieve its aims, the project team is improving on characterisation of the reclaimed asphalt in order to see how best it can be recycled. The team is also analysing the potential use of recovered material in addition to conducting risk assessments and life cycle assessments (LCAs) of reclaimed asphalt. It is considering as well alternative disposal routes and construction methods from an environmental perspective. The detailed study of recycling reclaimed asphalt also includes milling procedures, asphalt handling, sensitivity to damage, dismantling strategies, environmental considerations, the industrial processes involved and cost effectiveness. Already, the project has outlined recommendations on characterising reclaimed asphalt, evaluated relevant test methods, established mix procedures and assessed the performance of these mixes. RE-ROAD also developed models and software for assessing the performance of asphalt mixes with recycled asphalt in order to optimise road performance. A number of results have emerged from the study and from the risk assessment, such as the levels of hazardous compounds emanating from recycled asphalt. These were shown to be far lower than guideline values for groundwater except for asphalt that contained tar. In addition, the LCA revealed the more environmentally friendly recycling methods that could be adopted. Progress in this direction has been published on the project website. Overall, the project aims to improve recyclability and increase the energy efficiency with regards to asphalt pavements, and with an ambitious target of 99 % — much higher than current asphalt recycling. These results have been disseminated to policymakers, infrastructure managers, government institutions and European standards organisations, as well as through conferences and business networks. RE-ROAD undoubtedly represents an important step in making road construction more sustainable on a European scale and in raising the sustainability of the transport sector.
