Employing Life Cycle Assessment in Asphalt Mixture Design using Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

Abstract: There has been an increasing demand for the use of more recycled materials in asphalt mixtures due to the economic and environmental challenges associated with traditional asphalt mixtures. Extensive research has been carried out, exploring various methods to encourage the use of high Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) content with different types of additives or rejuvenators. It has been found that integrating a high amount of RAP in asphalt without any rejuvenating agent is detrimental to the effectiveness of the pavement. A previous study conducted in Louisiana showed that using 30% and 50% RAP with rejuvenators resulted in reductions of 28% and 43.4% in Cradle to Gate Global Warming Potentials, respectively. This project aims to determine the optimal RAP content that maximizes the durability and performance of pavements while minimizing the environmental impacts based on California design specifications. We investigated the effects of using RAP content between 30% to 50% by adding Ferric chloride (FeCl3) as the chosen Lewis Acid Catalyst rejuvenator. We then compared the durability and performance of the resulting mix to a control mix that contains no RAP and no rejuvenating agents. Additionally, the Environmental Impact Assessment of these samples will be conducted using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods in California. This study anticipates improvements in performance, durability, and sustainability through the use of FeCl3 in RAP asphalt mixtures.