2013 Session: 386

• Comparative Pavement Life-Cycle Assessment with Parameter Uncertainty
  Abstract: There is a growing interest in green design of pavements as an important contributor to material consumption and environmental emissions. Improving the sustainability of pavements requires a thorough evaluation of environmental impacts within all stages of a pavement’s life. There are different sources of uncertainty associated with the overall life-cycle. A probabilistic approach is required to incorporate uncertainty in environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) in order to capture the range of possible outcomes in the overall footprints of alternative designs. In this paper we present a procedure for quantification and propagation of uncertainty in comparative life cycle assessments of pavements. The statistical fluctuations in parameters that define the material quantities as well as their associated environmental impacts are characterized by probability distributions. The uncertainty associated with the appropriateness of each flow quantity is quantified using the data-quality indicators established by the ecoinvent life cycle inventory database. These probability distributions are incorporated in life cycle analysis and translated into the total variation in the environmental impact using a Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, the resulting probabilistic descriptions of overall footprints are compared for two pavement designs to investigate whether the difference in the overall environmental footprints of alternative pavements is statistically significant. Application of this methodology under a variety of scenarios enables decision-makers to comment on environmental sustainability of different alternatives for pavement products with an associated degree of confidence.
  Authors: Wildnauer, Margaret; Noshadravan, Arash; Gregory, Jeremy; Kirchain, Randolph
  Authors: Wildnauer, Margaret; Noshadravan, Arash; Gregory, Jeremy; Kirchain, Randolph
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Environment; Pavements
  Session: 386
  Paper Number: 13-3829
• Comparative Pavement Life-Cycle Assessment with Parameter Uncertainty
  Authors: Noshadravan, Arash
  Authors: Noshadravan, Arash
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Environment; Pavements
  Session: 386
  Paper Number: 13-3829
• Twenty-first Century Advancements in Recycled Asphalt Pavement and Recycled Asphalt Shingles
  Authors: Gallivan, Victor
  Authors: Gallivan, Victor
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Environment; Pavements
  Session: 386
  Paper Number: P13-6457
• Improving Performance of Transportation Projects Using Recovered Aggregates
  Authors: Blumenthal, Michael
  Authors: Blumenthal, Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Environment; Pavements
  Session: 386
  Paper Number: P13-6459
• Waste to Resource: Management of Slurry-Generated Soils in Washington State
  Authors: Hutchinson, Michael
  Authors: Hutchinson, Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: AICP Certification Maintenance Session; Environment; Pavements
  Session: 386
  Paper Number: P13-6461