Estimating VOC Emissions from Asphalt Pavement

Asphalt pavement is widely used in the US. The Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) volatized and emitted during its life cycle phase, including asphalt production, transportation, pavement paving, operation, as well as the demolition and reclaim, have a great effect on human health and the environment. Many studies have focused on the calculation, collecting, testing, and characteristics of VOC emissions from the asphalt pavement, however, several limitations still exist. For example, the database and the calculation methods are insufficient, as the calculation boundary is limited in the production phase and cannot extend to the lifecycle. To help the government to constrain the VOCs emissions within the legal system and draw more attention to the asphalt pavement reduction, this paper first defines the asphalt type, emission type and VOC category, along with the divided phases of the emissions. Then, a general database of VOCs emissions of asphalt pavement is established based on the data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), European Environmental Agency (EEA) and other resources. Thirdly, a calculation method based on the coefficients is proposed to measure and compare the emissions from different types of asphalt under different conditions. Finally, this paper used an example project to test the reliability and feasibility of the method, as well as come up with suggestions for the related stakeholders, such as government, contractors and owners.