Carbon-friendly construction materials in transportation infrastructure applications in the United States

The need to reduce carbon emissions in the infrastructure construction sector, particularly for transportation infrastructure, has guided researchers towards the adoption of sustainable and carbon-friendly materials in pavement projects. The use of traditional construction materials poses significant sustainability challenges, such as high greenhouse gas emissions, embodied energy during production or transportation, and long-term environmental degradation. To address some of these challenges, this chapter presents a comprehensive review of current practices in the geo-infrastructure field and current federal guidelines related to low-carbon construction materials and their utilization. All of these highlight the potential roles of using carbon-friendly materials in achieving environmental stewardship, along with infrastructure resilience and long-term serviceability. This chapter discusses recent and selected innovative low-carbon alternative materials, such as recycled asphalt pavement, quarry fines, recycled concrete aggregate fines, and geopolymers, that are being used, researched, and tested for pavement construction. These materials not only have the potential to reduce the carbon footprint but also can enhance mechanical and durability properties, critically needed for stabilized or unstabilized base layer systems to support pavement infrastructure. This chapter also examines barriers to material adoption and proposes pathways to facilitate integration within the current federal regulatory framework and guidance from the Federal Highway Administration. It aims to provide valuable insights for advancing low-carbon material adoption to align with net-zero emissions and goals in transportation infrastructure works.