Carbon footprint of dredged sediments and virgin aggregates in a road case study
Abstract
Aggregates extraction and quarry operations is a major source of greenhouse emissions in construction work. The growing demand on virgin aggregates for road construction and other infrastructure works promote the use of alternative materials. Waste valorization is one of these strategies that substitute the need of virgin aggregates by reusing or recycling wastes. These wastes provide a suitable alternative in case they met the environmental and mechanical requirements in terms of their functionality. Dredged sediments are one of these materials that shown several abilities to be used in road construction. The focus of using such alternatives in order to avoid natural resources consumption doesn’t disperse the attention to their carbon footprints. In this paper, a comparative assessment was conducted to address the carbon footprints beyond the production of virgin aggregates and their replacement by dredged sediments for the use in road construction. Carbon footprints were estimated based on a life cycle assessment approach.