Evaluating circularity in pavements using mass and value-based indicators
S. C. Liu, Avishreshth Singh, Aikaterini Varveri, Francesco Di Maio
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the applicability of two quantitative circularity indicators, the material circularity indicator (MCI) and circular economy index (CEI) in pavement maintenance. Three technologies were assessed: resurfacing, in-situ rejuvenation, and warm-mix asphalt (WMA). MCI results indicated that in-situ rejuvenation and WMA exhibit the highest circularity (∼0.77), while resurfacing scored lower (0.66) due to higher virgin material use. In contrast, CEI suggested that in-situ rejuvenation (−30.8) achieved the highest circularity by minimizing material inputs, while WMA (−48.2) and resurfacing (−46.9) had lower CEI due to higher costs of virgin materials. Sensitivity analysis showed that WMA must achieve a minimum service life of over 9 years to match resurfacing in MCI and 13 years in CEI. These findings highlight in-situ rejuvenation as the most effective maintenance strategy, while also emphasizing the need for composite indicators integrating circularity with sustainability metrics for pavement evaluation and robust decision-making.