Asphalt and energy savings
Less energy consumed by the traveling public Definitive studies sponsored by government agencies show that pavement smoothness can reduce fuel consumption. Vehicles traveling on smooth pavements consume up to 4.5 percent less fuel than when traveling on rough pavements. Asphalt pavements start out smooth and stay smooth over the long haul. Lower emissions from vehicles When vehicles consume less fuel, they produce lower emissions. Reducing emissions from vehicles would reduce greenhouse gas production and have a tremendous impact on global climate change. Smoothing out all our rough old pavements with asphalt overlays would be an energy- efficient investment. Less energy consumed in building pavements Over the pavement’s life cycle, asphalt pavements require only about half the energy to produce and construct than other pavements. Because asphalt pavements are perpetual, less energy is consumed in maintenance and reconstruction. Associated emissions are reduced as well. An asphalt pavement’s life-cycle carbon footprint is merely a fraction compared to other pavements’. CO 2 sequestration The Department of Energy recognizes asphalt as a top material that sequesters carbon. Asphalt pavement is a permanent resource that will never be consumed and will never emit greenhouse gases. Instead, it can be reused and recycled over and over again. Warm Mix Asphalt’s big chill Asphalt is cooling down the mix with innovative warm-mix asphalt pavement technologies. These new processes and products reduce the tempera- tures at which pavement material is produced and placed. Warm mix conserves 15 to 30 percent of the energy required at the mixing plant, reduces emissions, and yields construction benefits including a longer paving season in cool climates plus better performance and longer life for the pavements.
