Framework for Carbon Emission Evaluation of Road Maintenance
Abstract
In the United Kingdom, carbon emissions associated with business activities have shifted from matters of policy to sources of legal responsibilities under the Climate Change Act of 2008. A flexible and easy-to-use technique is needed so that businesses can assess their carbon emissions in response to regulations on the environmental impact of construction activities. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology that could offer businesses a carbon life-cycle assessment tool to identify emissions hot spots across the value chain and inform a carbon-reduction hierarchy. The approach employed was based on methodology described in the publicly available specification (PAS2050) protocol. The objective was to identify locations where the largest production of emissions occurred and provide for the biggest potential reduction within routine highway maintenance processes. The methodology framework allows businesses to make informed decisions in carbon terms through the identification and prioritization of areas of potential reduction of emissions.
Get full access to this article
View all access and purchase options for this article.
References
1. Dlugolecki A. Carbon Disclosure Project. Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, London, 2003.
2. Transport Research Laboratory Limited. Waste Resources Action Programme. MRF136. CO2 Estimator Tool for Aggregate. User Guide v2.0 2010. http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/The_CO2_emissions_estimator_tool_for_the_use_of_aggregates_in_construction_-_User_Guide_v2.0.8574693b.9125.pdf. Accessed Feb. 2011.
3. United Kingdom. Innovation and Skills Department for Business. Low Carbon Construction. Final report. 2010. http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-sectors/docs/l/10-1266-low-carbon-construction-igt-final-report.pdf. Accessed Feb. 2011.
4. Waddell H. Sustainable Construction and UK Legislation and Policy. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Management, Procurement and Law, Vol. 161, No. 3, 2008, pp. 127–132.
5. Hammond G.P., and Jones C. I. Embodied Energy and Carbon in Construction Materials. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Energy, Vol. 161, No. EN2, 2008, pp. 87–98.
6. Hammond G.P., and Jones C. I. Inventory of Carbon and Energy. Sustainable Energy Research Team. University of Bath, United Kingdom, 2011. Accessed July 2011.
7. Low Carbon: Building a Better Future. New Civil Engineer, 2009. http://www.nce.co.uk/low-carbon-building-a-better-future/5208913.article. Accessed Feb. 2011.
8. Lewis P., Frey H.C., and Rasdorf W. J. Development and Use of Emissions Inventories for Construction Vehicles. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2123, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2009, pp. 46–53.
9. Rasdorf W.J., Lewis P., and Frey H. C. Estimating Productivity Emission Rates and Cost Emission Rates of Diesel Construction Equipment. Proc., Sixth International Conference on Innovation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction, Pennsylvania State University, State College, June 2009.
10. United Kingdom Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Department for Business. Strategy for Sustainable Construction, 2008. http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46535.pdf. Accessed Nov. 17, 2009.
11. Ko J. Carbon: Reducing the Footprint of the Construction Process—An Action Plan to Reduce Carbon Emissions. Strategic Forum for Construction and the Carbon Trust, 2010. http://www.nscc.org.uk/documents/StrategicForumCarbonActionPlan.pdf. Accessed Nov. 2010.
12. United Kingdom Waste and Resources Action Programme. Environmental Benefits of Recycling. Final Report, 2010. http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/Environmental_benefits_of_recycling_2010_update. f78d8063.8816.pdf. Accessed Oct. 2010.
13. Durucan S., and Korre A. Life Cycle Assessment of Aggregates. Imperial College, London, 2009. http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/Life_Cycle_Assessment_of_Aggregates_User_Guide.867908a8.8878.pdf. Accessed March 2011.
14. Thomas A., Lombardi D.R., Hurt D., and Gaterell M. Estimating Carbon Dioxide Emissions for Aggregate Use. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Engineering Sustainability, Vol. 162, No. 3, 2009, pp. 135–144.
15. Mroueh U.M., Eskola P., and Laine-Ylijoki J. Life-Cycle Impacts of the Use of Industrial By-Products in Road and Earth Construction. Journal of Waste Management, Vol. 21, No. 3, 2001, pp. 271–277.
16. British Standards Institution. PAS2050: 2008. How to Assess the Carbon Footprint of Goods and Services: Guide to PAS2050, London, 2008. http://www.bsigroup.com/upload/Standards%20&%20Publications/Energy/PAS2050-Guide.pdf. Accessed June 2009.
17. British Standards Institution. PAS2050: 2011. Specification for the Assessment of the Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Goods and Services (rev.). London, 2011. http://www.bsigroup.com/upload/Standards%20&%20Publications/Energy/PAS2050.pdf. Accessed Oct. 2011.
18. Sustain Limited. PAS2050 Briefing Document. United Kingdom, 2010. http://www.sustain.co.uk/resources/briefing-documents-and-reports/pas2050-briefing-document.aspx. Accessed Feb. 2011.
19. Koskela L. Application of the New Production Philosophy to Construction. Technical Report No. 72. Center for Integrated Facility Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., 1992.
20. Cooper R., Aouad G., Lee A., Wu S., Fleming A., and Kagioglou M. Process Management in Design and Construction: Technical and Technologies for Managing the Product Development Process in Construction. Blackwall Publishing, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2005, p. 29.
21. United Kingdom Food and Rural Affairs/Department of Energy and Climate Change Department for Environment. 2010 Guidelines to DEFRA/DECC's Greenhouse Gases Conversion Factors for Company Reporting, 2010. http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/reporting/pdf/101006-guidelines-ghg-conversion-factors.pdf. Accessed Jan. 2011.
22. Frey H.C., Rasdorf W.J., Kim K., Pang S., and Lewis P. Comparison of Real-World Emissions of B20 Biodiesel Versus Petroleum Diesel for Selected Nonroad Vehicles and Engine Tiers. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2058, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2008, pp. 33–42.
Cite article
Cite article
Cite article
OR
Download to reference manager
If you have citation software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice
Information, rights and permissions
Information
Published In
Article first published online: January 1, 2012
Issue published: January 2012
Authors
Metrics and citations
Metrics
Journals metrics
This article was published in Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board.
VIEW ALL JOURNAL METRICSArticle usage*
Total views and downloads: 77
*Article usage tracking started in December 2016
Altmetric
See the impact this article is making through the number of times it’s been read, and the Altmetric Score.
Learn more about the Altmetric Scores
Articles citing this one
Receive email alerts when this article is cited
Web of Science: 0
Crossref: 9
- Carbon emissions management in construction operations: a systematic r...
- THE MODELLING OF EMISSIONS EVALUATION AT ASPHALT MIXING PLANT IN HOT R...
- The Correlation between the Number of Asphalt Mixing Plants and the Pr...
- Life cycle assessment of asphalt pavement maintenance and rehabilitati...
- Assessment of Life Cycle Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction of Using R...
- Development and Implementation of a Lifecycle Carbon Tool for Highway ...
- Estimation of materials-induced CO 2 emission from road construction ...
- Highway routine maintenance carbon dioxide emissions assessment
- A Sensitivity Study of RAP Cost and Performance on its Life Cycle Bene...
Figures and tables
Figures & Media
Tables
View Options
Get access
Access options
If you have access to journal content via a personal subscription, university, library, employer or society, select from the options below:
loading institutional access options
Alternatively, view purchase options below:
Purchase 24 hour online access to view and download content.
Access journal content via a DeepDyve subscription or find out more about this option.
