Achieve sustainability is nowadays an essential requirement in transportation sector since construction and operation of roads produce significant adverse effects on environment and human health. According to the World Bank, the transport sector accounts for nearly 14% of global GHG emissions and approximately the 72% of these ones are due to construction, rehabilitation, maintenance, and usage of roads. Focusing on the construction phase, earthmovings, materials production and transportation, tunnel and bridge building, machineries and plant operation are the main causes of the burdens on the environment and communities. A cleaner production of transportation infrastructures requires scrupulous awareness in the definition of the construction processes and in the selection of materials and components for which it is more than ever necessary to evaluate the environmental impacts. Among the negative effects those on the air quality merit a particular attention because they affect the human health. This study deals with the analysis of the PM10, CO and NOx, emissions arising from the construction of an Italian road. The procedure adopted for the estimation of the impacts on the air quality was carried out through the following phases: i) collection of detailed data on construction sites, type of activities for each worksite, duration of the activities, type of machineries and equipment, quantity of materials moved; ii) estimation of the quantity of dust and pollutants arising from the construction processes applying suitable models; iii) identification of the most critical period of construction in terms of air emissions; iv) investigation of the worksites, activities and processes with the greatest impact from an emissive standpoint. From the study carried out, it is clear the effectiveness of the spatial and temporal analysis of PM10, CO and NOx emissions to fully understand the emission phenomenon and its tendency during the construction period. The results of such kind of approach can really assist project managers in forecasting, at project stage, targeted effective mitigation measures, activity-specific and site-specific, and in designing a feasible monitoring system, which controls and supervises the on-site emissions timely.
Sustainable Practices in Road Constructions: Estimation and Mitigation of Impact on Air Quality
Giunta M.
2022-01-01
Abstract
Achieve sustainability is nowadays an essential requirement in transportation sector since construction and operation of roads produce significant adverse effects on environment and human health. According to the World Bank, the transport sector accounts for nearly 14% of global GHG emissions and approximately the 72% of these ones are due to construction, rehabilitation, maintenance, and usage of roads. Focusing on the construction phase, earthmovings, materials production and transportation, tunnel and bridge building, machineries and plant operation are the main causes of the burdens on the environment and communities. A cleaner production of transportation infrastructures requires scrupulous awareness in the definition of the construction processes and in the selection of materials and components for which it is more than ever necessary to evaluate the environmental impacts. Among the negative effects those on the air quality merit a particular attention because they affect the human health. This study deals with the analysis of the PM10, CO and NOx, emissions arising from the construction of an Italian road. The procedure adopted for the estimation of the impacts on the air quality was carried out through the following phases: i) collection of detailed data on construction sites, type of activities for each worksite, duration of the activities, type of machineries and equipment, quantity of materials moved; ii) estimation of the quantity of dust and pollutants arising from the construction processes applying suitable models; iii) identification of the most critical period of construction in terms of air emissions; iv) investigation of the worksites, activities and processes with the greatest impact from an emissive standpoint. From the study carried out, it is clear the effectiveness of the spatial and temporal analysis of PM10, CO and NOx emissions to fully understand the emission phenomenon and its tendency during the construction period. The results of such kind of approach can really assist project managers in forecasting, at project stage, targeted effective mitigation measures, activity-specific and site-specific, and in designing a feasible monitoring system, which controls and supervises the on-site emissions timely.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
