Environmental Effects of Accelerated Pavement Repair Using 3D Printing: Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Abstract

Due to the age of its highway infrastructure system, spall repair projects have become overwhelmingly common in the United States. Critics, however, have highlighted several serious drawbacks to the current repair method, such as cost-schedule ineffectiveness, road user delay, detrimental effects on the environment, and safety concerns related to lane closures. To circumvent these immediate concerns, the main objective of this study was to create and test a new spall repair method that harnesses 3-dimensional (3D) printing technology. This goal was achieved by conducting environmental impact assessments via the Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA). The results of this research reveal that 3D printing repair is preferable to the traditional spall repair method with regard to its impacts on the environment. It is expected that this work will promote 3D printing spall repair, since it has proven to be both quicker and more environmentally friendly. The information presented here will assist agency engineers and practitioners in making better-informed decisions regarding environmentally sustainable repair projects.