Knowledge CentreTechnical Resources SearchConference PapersPromoting Sustainability in Infrastructure Through Quantifying Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement – An Ontario Municipal Case Study

Promoting Sustainability in Infrastructure Through Quantifying Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement – An Ontario Municipal Case Study

Abstract

More than 6.5 million tonnes of asphalt is used annually in the maintenance and construction of new roads in Ontario municipalities. The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in road construction, has been proven to provide sustainable structures without affecting the integrity of virgin materials. Currently in Ontario, only two thirds of municipalities allow the use of RAP in the mix design of asphalt pavements, and most of those municipalities only use it in the base coarse layer. Promoting such sustainable approaches to infrastructure would lead to cost-effective spending on infrastructure, sustaining resources of virgin materials and would also result in limiting greenhouse gas emissions through reducing asphalt consumption and through utilizing locally available recycled materials. This paper aims to provide quantification of the current amount of RAP available in the province of Ontario, as well as providing trends of RAP consumption. An environmental scan of the province was conducted to obtain a database of RAP stockpile locations across Ontario. Volume measurements were conducted by using Google Earth Pro Software package. Additional calculations were conducted to estimate tonnage quantities of RAP. A sample of specific stockpile locations was selected for the validation process. The validation was conducted through cross-comparison of stockpile estimates with the actual quantity obtained from RAP providers. The RAP inventory and the trends of RAP consumption resulted from this study would help in the decision making for steering the infrastructure towards more sustainable use of available materials.

Conference Paper Details

Session title:
Innovations in Pavement Management, Engineering and Technologies (S)
Author(s):
Mneina, A., Smith, J.
Topics:
Pavements
Year:
2019