University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Grainger College of Engineering
Illinois Center for Transportation

Life-cycle assessment applied to road pavement systems

By João Santos on 10/19/2023 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in 1611 Titan Drive Rantoul, IL 61866

Join João Santos, assistant professor at the University of Twente, as he presents via Zoom at the Fall 2023 Kent Seminar Series Thursday, October 19, from 2-3 p.m. (CT).

This semester is set to feature 14 presentations, delving into a range of topics that address the intersection of transportation and climate change. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore various aspects of sustainable transportation practices, innovative green technologies and strategies for mitigating the impact of transportation on our changing climate.

Pizza and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the ICT Classroom. 

All presentations will be held on Zoom, but some speakers will present in person at ICT.

 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://illinois.zoom.us/j/81913202796?pwd=TW9KbkV4UEJkZC9GYm4vTzF5b2tQUT09

Meeting ID: 819 1320 2796
Password: 632432

Abstract and Bio

Life-cycle assessment, an industrial ecology methodology developed since the 1960s, is widely accepted by researchers and practitioners. In the pavement community, it has gained prominence since the early 2000s as the go-to method for assessing road pavement systems’ environmental performance. Santos will reflect on the current literature, focusing on common methodological choices that can lead to partially uninformed decisions (“icebergs”), challenges, opportunities and future trends.

Santos is an assistant professor at the University of Twente and part of its Asphalt Paving and Research Innovation network. He uses industrial ecology and operation research methods to enhance the sustainability of civil infrastructure systems. Santos earned a doctorate in transportation systems from Portugal’s University of Coimbra, spending two years as a visiting scholar at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in the U.S. Before joining the University of Twente, he was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral researcher at France’s IFSTTAR.