Life cycle inventory analysis program for road construction

The Finnish LCA-database and inventory analysis program for road construction was developed as a part of the Technology Development Centre's (Tekes) Environmental Geotechnology Programme.In the first stage of the study a life-cycle impact assessment procedure for the comparison and evaluation of alternative road and earth constructions was proposed.Additionally, a database containing the environmental burdens of the most significant construction materials and unit operations and the information required for the calculation of the data was constructed.In order to evaluate the applicability of the methodology the use of coal ash, crushed concrete waste and granulated blast-furnace slag was compared with the use of natural materials in corresponding applications.All the work stages from material production to road management as well as the materials most commonly used in the structural courses of road constructions are covered in the analyses.The environmental loadings dealt with have been limited to those assessed as being the most important.During the later phase of the work a practical calculation model based on the developed methodology and existing data was formulated.The data obtained in the first stage was also augmented to the extent necessary for this purpose.For example, leaching tests of natural aggregates were performed. The Excel-based life cycle inventory analysis program created is suitable for the routine calculation of the environmental loadings of the most common road constructions and for their comparison.