This study provided a systematic lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodology that was used to quantify the total embodied energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions involved in construction of a new pavement. Furthermore, a comparative LCA was performed to adjudge the benefits offered by pervious concrete pavement (PCP) over Portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP) for different mixing procedures, and distinct base layers. The system boundaries included the following phases of pavement LCA: raw material production, transportation, and pavement construction. The total embodied energy and GHG emissions were quantified for a functional unit of 1 km single lane road, 3.5 m wide, and 0.35 m thickness. The relative contribution of each component to energy consumption and GHG emissions was estimated and the variability of LCA model parameters was understood using sensitivity analysis. The results dictated that the total embodied energy and GHG emissions in PCP with aggregate base layer were reduced by up to 3% and 2.7%, respectively, compared to that of PCCP with similar configuration. Further, a capital cost analysis was conducted due to non-availability of maintenance and end-of-life data, which indicated that PCP is almost 1.21% costlier than PCCP for RMC mixing, and 4.13% cheaper for in-situ mixing. The conceptual approach developed in this study provided a generalized methodical framework that could be used to assess the environmental credibility of pavement systems for site-specific conditions.@en

Embedded infiltration rings have been historically used to estimate the infiltration properties of pervious concrete (PC) pavements. However, no methodical study has evaluated the effect of the size of embedded rings on the infiltration characteristics of these special pavement systems. The objective of this research was to assess the infiltration rate of PC using a multi-scale, in situ approach through embedding rings of various sizes in pavement slabs. Essentially, this investigation attempted to identify the most appropriate size of the embedded ring that can estimate infiltration rates of PC slabs in a reliable manner. To meet the proposed objective, a multi-scale in situ experimental program was designed, in which five infiltration rings of inner diameter ranging from 100 to 580 mm were embedded into three PC slabs of dimensions 3 × 2.5 × 0.15 m. A surface infiltration test was also conducted on PC slabs and was found to vary from 0.36 to 1.87 cm/s. The embedded infiltration rate (EIR) was estimated using a falling head permeability test by ponding water above the pavement surface and measuring the time taken to drain. EIRs decreased from 1.36 to 0.27 cm/s with increasing ring diameter from 100 to 580 mm. Field tests also indicated that infiltration rates for smaller ring diameters (180 mm and lower) had higher uncertainty, which was attributed to the inability of achieving optimum compaction efforts inside of smaller rings. Based on the findings, the optimum size for estimating the infiltration rate of PC was found to be 270 mm. It is noteworthy that this diameter is in the range suggested by ASTM C1701, Standard Test Method for Infiltration Rate of In Place Pervious Concrete, i.e., 300 mm. This research helped identify the practicable specimen size that could be utilized by researchers and practitioners to estimate the most reliable field infiltration rates through PC.@en

With growing urbanization and associated development of infrastructure, urban heat islands (UHI) have emerged as major challenges, which need to be taken care of, in order to endure sustainable urban conglomerates. In this study, pervious concrete pavements (PCP) systems were designed and constructed to assess if they can serve as best UHI management practices through actual field implementation and testing. A systematic field experimental program was devised, wherein temperature profiles were measured across the depth of PCPs, under both dry and wet conditions. Thermocouples were embedded in PCP and Portland cement concrete pavements (PCCP) to record and compare the temperature profiles. The pavement surface temperature was recorded at 15-minute intervals under dry conditions, while the pavement temperature was examined after every three hours for wet conditions. Wet conditions were simulated by pouring water over the pavements and the temperatures across the pavement thickness were measured. The quantity of water required to decrease the pavement temperature by 1 °C across the depth of the pavements was quantified. Under dry conditions, it was found that PCP system was warmer compared to PCCP, irrespective of the time in one day. The volume of water required was about 38 ml to reduce the surface temperature of PCP by 1 °C. Further, in order to achieve similar reduction in temperature throughout the thickness of the pavement system, the volume of water required ranged from 2620 to 6350 ml. Owing to its impervious nature, no change in temperature was observed in PCCP system even with inundation of water, except at the surface that exhibited very minute reduction. The experimental findings showed that negative impacts of UHI can be countered by using PCP systems as a potential for harnessing evaporative cooling effects that is remarkably higher than conventional pavements.@en

Pervious concrete pavement (PCP) systems allow enhanced infiltration of stormwater through them due to the presence of interconnected porous channels within their structure; thereby preventing urban flooding and augmenting groundwater recharge. The functional performance of PCP is usually evaluated using the surface infiltration (SI) test, in which water that is poured into the infiltration ring (300 mm diameter) is allowed to flow both vertically downward as well as horizontally within the pervious concrete (PC) due to the lack of lateral constraint. Thus, the SI test is not fully capable of simulating the actual water flow in the PCP system during rainfall events. Further, a systematic investigation of the environmental impacts of PCPs has not yet been attempted. Thus, the research objectives of the current study were two-fold: assessment of infiltration parameter in PCP systems using a multi-scale methodology, and computation of embodied energy and greenhouse (GHG) emissions from PCPs using cradle-to-gate approach. To accomplish the research objective, two PC parking lots of dimensions 125 m × 4 m × 0.15 m (A), and 50 m × 6 m × 0.15 m (B) constructed using a single PC-mix type laid on granular sub-base (GSB) of 0.25 m and 0.2 m thicknesses were considered. Over parking lot B, field experiments were performed with infiltration rings of various diameters (ranging from about 100 to 630 mm) embedded into the PC slabs with a provision for draining the water. The results from the multi-scale tests established that the minimum size of infiltration ring required to accurately estimate the infiltration rate of the PC slab was of diameter 300 mm. The full-scale and SI tests on parking lot A confirmed that the infiltration rates through PCP, PC, and GSB varied from 0.05-0.29 cm/s, 0.11-0.32 cm/s, and 0.07-0.11 cm/s, respectively. Further, the strength of parking lot A constructed using in-situ mixing procedure showed 60% higher strength than parking lot B, which was constructed using ready-mixed pervious concrete. Additionally, the embodied energy and GHG emissions in PC were about 3% lower than Portland Cement Concrete (PCC). The preliminary findings indicated that PC not only reduces surface runoff, but also conserves natural resources (fine aggregates). PC also has potential to reduce the amount of emissions into the atmosphere than PCC, which needs further investigation. @en