Project description
Valorising asphalt’s solar retention to create energy-efficient roads
Thermo-active road systems, which use embedded pipes to capture and store solar heat from asphalt, offer a promising renewable energy source that also extends road longevity. While offering seasonal benefits such as summer cooling and winter heating, the long-term, structural and sustainable impact of these systems requires further investigation. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TARS project aims to resolve key scientific challenges to develop the framework for such systems using multiphysics and multiscale modelling and simulation techniques. Its key objectives include establishing and validating a coupled thermo-mechanical model, creating a surrogate metamodel to predict long-term thermal behaviour and performing a comprehensive life-cycle assessment.
Objective
Asphalt pavements absorb significant amounts of solar energy, but their potential as renewable energy sources remains largely untapped. By embedding fluid-circulating pipes, similar to underfloor heating, pavements can be transformed into thermo-active road systems that function as large-scale seasonal energy exchangers. These systems offer dual benefits: harvesting heat in summer for storage or direct use and supplying it in winter, while also extending pavement service life. Nevertheless, their long-term performance, mechanical durability, and life-cycle sustainability have yet to be thoroughly investigated.
This project will develop the first integrated framework for thermo-active road performance, using a comprehensive multi-physics, multi-scale methodology. The research objectives are to 1) develop a validated coupled thermo-mechanical framework 2) build surrogate metamodel for long-term thermal performance and 4) conduct cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment. The overarching goal is to address fundamental scientific challenges to demonstrate how thermo-active roads can deliver renewable energy, extend pavement service life, thus contributing to European climate-resilient infrastructure goals.
The proposed project combines a multidisciplinary approach, including geomaterial modelling, energy geostructures, material science, and sustainability, with advanced training in laboratory testing, pavement characterisation, and numerical and surrogate modelling at the host institution and two secondments.
The fellowship will also equip Dr Ghalandari with advanced expertise, interdisciplinary collaborations, and transferable skills to become a leading independent researcher in climate-resilient energy geostructures and sustainable pavement systems. Supervision will be provided by Prof. Anh Minh Tang at ENPC, whose extensive experience and expertise in mentoring researchers will ensure high-quality guidance, training, and continuous support throughout the project.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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77455 Marne La Vallee Cedex 2
France
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