Asphalt Shingle Recycling:Recycled Materials Resource Center and

Environmental Issues

Jenna R. Jambeck, PhDResearch Assistant Professor, UNHRecycled Materials Resource Center

Chicago, IL November 1-2, 2007

MISSION

Overcome barriers to the appropriate use of recycled materials in the highway environment

RMRC Overview/History

• Established in TEA-21 in 1998

• National center in partnership with FHWA

• Focus on the long term engineering and environmental performance of recycled materials in the highway environment

• Primary activities are research and outreach

Current RMRCJoint venture of University of New Hampshire and

University of Wisconsin-Madison

- UNH: Kevin Gardner (co-director), Jeff Melton, Jenna Jambeck, David Gress, Colleen Mitchell

- UW: Craig Benson (co-director), Tuncer Edil, Hussain Bahia, Andy Graettinger, Phil O’Leary, and Gary Whited

Approach

The original Center had seven recycled materials focus areas:

1. Testing and evaluation guidelines and specifications

2. Material-application specific research and development

3. Economic and institutional issues

4. New materials and innovative technologies

5. Field trials of materials

6. Technical services

7. Technology transfer and training

Research Map

Over 40 Research projects completed!

Partners: MnDOT, Minn. Office of Environmental Assistance, Minn. Local Road Research Board, SKB Environmental, Bituminous Roadways, Inc.

Principal Investigators: Roger Olson, MnDOT & Dan Krivit, Dan Krivit & Assoc.

Project Stats: 32 Months (July 2002 – December 2004)

Approach:• Prepare design documents• Two field demonstrations• Evaluate demonstrations

Project 22 - Overcoming Barriers to Asphalt Shingle Recycling

Other Activities

• Shingle Recycling Forums• 2003, 2007

• Provisional Specifications• American Association of State Highway and

Transportation (AASHTO), "Use of Reclaimed Asphalt Shingle as an Additive in Hot Mix Asphalt: A Provisional Standard Specification (M2005A-TS-2c)" Final publication in preparation.

• American Association of State Highway and Transportation (AASHTO), "Provisional Standard Recommended Practice for Design Considerations when using Reclaimed Asphalt Shingles in New Hot Mix Asphalt (R2005A-TS-2c)" Final publication in preparation.

Education and Outreach

RMRC Outreach• RMRC sponsored conference sessions• RMRC sponsored workshops• Beneficial Use of Recycled Materials in

Transportation Applications Conference• Software and guidance documents

• Beneficial Use Guidelines - shingles

RMRC Recycled Materials Workshops

• Four workshops – Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West

• Attendees – FHWA, State DOT, State Environmental Agencies, US EPA

• Focus on training recycling/beneficial use coordinators, improving DOT recycling programs

• Providing a forum for communication

How is sustainability and shingle recycling related?

Sustainability

• Sustain: to keep in existence; maintain

• Big picture• Sustain the earth• Finite resources

–Decrease or mitigate negative environmental impacts of human existence–Conserve resources

Environmental Impacts

• Examine impacts of various options/choices and choose those with the least impact

• How to quantify?• Impacts can be assessed:

• Greenhouse gas generation

(e.g., methane, carbon dioxide)• SOx, NOx emissions• Toxics released (air, water, soil)

• Organics – TCE, PBDE, etc.• Inorganics – Hg, Pb, etc.• Exposure routes may be considered

Conservation of Resources

• Use as little of our resources as possible • Use renewable resources• Reuse products already produced

• Conserves energy• Recycle the materials from a product to make a new

product• No need for virgin materials

• Extract resources from the product • Conversion into energy

Economics

• In the long run, it doesn’t save to exploit our resources

• But the immediate cost time frame is critical for a market economy• Often times immediate costs and sustainable

practices coincide• Sometimes more sustainable practices (or

switching to them) can result in a greater expense• Often there is a payback

• Many corporations, industries and institutions now see the benefits in practicing environmental sustainability

It can be a difficult balance between environmental impacts, trade-offs and cost…

RMRC has experience evaluating risk, benefits and cost.

Partners: MnDOT (MnROAD), NYSDEC, Laboratoire Centrale des Ponts et Chausees (LCPC)

Principal Investigators: Dr. Taylor Eighmy & Dr. Kevin Garner, UNH

Project Stats: June 2000 – August 2004

Approach:• Literature review• Model selection• Model validation with MnROAD data• Develop a risk assessment approach for state regulatory agency use

Project 7/8 - Development of a Risk Analysis Framework for Beneficial Use of Secondary Materials

WaterTableRise

VaporMovement

CapillarySuction

Surface Surface EntryEntry

HighGround

Drainage

Run-offRun-off

Sustainable Road Construction

• Must create a product with consistent high quality

• From that standpoint, how can we do this in a more sustainable manner?• Beneficially use materials; offset virgin

materials - shingles• Recycle materials

• Assess environmental burdens and trade-offs of various options

• Life-cycle assessment

Potential Applications

What are potential environment and health impacts of using a material in an application?• Context of use• Proper characterization• Potential receptors and risks• Trade-offs

Environmental Characterization• Shingles

• Asbestos• PAHs

Pavement Life-cycle Assessment Tool for Environmental and Economic Effects

(PaLATE)

Developed by Arpad Horvath (UC Berkeley) for the Recycled Materials Resource Center

www.recycledmaterials.org

Questions that can be answered:

• For a particular roadway, which material is better environmentally, economically: e.g., recycled or virgin?

• Will changing the recycled material content in a particular pavement affect its environmental impact?

• Does sending demolished portions of a road to a processing plant or to a landfill make more environmental and economic sense?

• Which maintenance options will minimize environmental and economic effects?

Factors that are considered:

• Design of the roadway • Construction materials, material

transportation distances and modes• Technology choices – e.g., on-site

construction and maintenance equipment (e.g., asphalt paver), and off-site processing equipment (e.g., rock crusher)

• Life-cycle economic costs

Recycled Material Use Example

• Conceptual for shingles• Crumb rubber surrogate in asphalt• Road in NH, 2.6 miles, single lane (31

feet wide)• 5.5 inch wearing course, 12 inch base

Energy

Total Roadway Inputs

6,700,000

6,800,000

6,900,000

7,000,000

7,100,000

7,200,000

7,300,000

7,400,000

7,500,000

7,600,000

Virgin 5% 12%

Asphalt Binder Crumb Rubber Mix

En

erg

y (

MJ)

.

Processes

Production

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Total Roadway Inputs

400

410

420

430

440

450

460

Virgin 5% 12%

Asphalt Binder Crumb Rubber Mix

CO

2 (M

g)

= G

WP

.

Processes

Production

Case Study Results: Energy Consumption (MJ)

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000

9,000,000

Initial Construction Maintenance Total Initial Construction Maintenance Total

En

erg

gy

[MJ]

Processes (Equipment)

Materials Transportation

Materials Production

Initial Construction - RubblizationMaintenance - Crack Seal & Resurface

Initial Construction - Virgin MaterialsMaintenance - HIPR

Initial Construction: Recycling uses 3.5M MJ less energy than use of virgin materials (reduced materials production)Maintenance: HIPR uses 1.5M MJ less than crack sealing & resurfacing.

HIPR - equipment processesCrack seal & resurfacing - materials production

Case Study Scenario (2)

• Divided PA DOT PGH demand into 5 areas defined by a single point• City center• 25 miles north,

south, east and west of city center

N

S

E

CCW

Summary

• The future of utilizing recycled materials, including shingles, fits in with our sustainability concept• Life-cycle impacts

• RMRC will Continue to• Be a central resource for technical issues

• Engineering• Environmental

• Conduct outreach and education• Webinars, etc.• Be a bridge between stakeholders

• Let us know how else we can help!

Further information available on RMRC website:

www.recycledmaterials.org

Jenna R. Jambeck, PhDResearch Assistant Professor

Department of Civil/Environmental EngineeringUniversity of New Hampshire

244 Gregg Hall, 35 Colovos Rd.Durham, NH  03824

Phone: 603-862-4023Jenna.Jambeck@unh.edu