Environmental Impact of Road Maintenance Projects in Aceh: A Case Study

Abstract

Constructing and using infrastructure facilities and buildings involves energy consumption, contributing to carbon footprint/greenhouse gas emissions. Road construction is a task that requires a mixture of asphalt at high temperatures, leading to energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Hence, a study is necessary to estimate the energy consumption and CO₂ emission during pavement construction. The main objective of this study is to determine the energy usage and CO₂ emissions generated during pavement construction. The case study was part of the preservation and reconstruction project on the Banda Aceh — Aceh Jaya border road. The data for this study were collected through interviews and direct observations. The data analysis method used the energy use and GHG emission table for pavement construction and fuel conversion. The findings from this study indicated that during the foundation layer work stage, the total energy consumption was 8.96 × 105 MJ, resulting in 59.74 tons of CO₂ emissions equivalent. In the surface layer work stage, the total energy consumption was 5.13 × 106 MJ, with CO₂ emissions of 386,674 tons. Employing the fuel conversion method, the energy consumption and CO₂ emissions were calculated for each stage of work. During the foundation layer work stage, the total energy consumption was 8.11 × 105 MJ, leading to 60.21 tons of CO₂ emissions. In the surface layer work stage, the energy consumption was 4.70 × 106 MJ, resulting in CO₂ emissions of 348.93 tons. However, among all stages of work on the reviewed project, the production stage of asphalt mixture was identified as the most energy-consuming and CO₂-producing stage, accounting for approximately 72% of the total energy consumption and CO₂ emissions.