MASAI: sustainable, automated and intelligent asphalt materials. The way to the next generation of asphalt pavements

Abstract

Despite the efforts made during decades, pavement construction still uses essentially the same traditional model as that employed one hundred years ago. This makes road construction actions less efficient, thereby affecting the productivity and the possibilities of economic growth of the sector. To help establish a model based on the circular economy, but also to promote the implantation of the new technologies, the Laboratory of Construction Engineering of the University of Granada has created the conception of sustainable and smart asphalt materials named MASAI, which enable the combination of the most important sustainable techniques developed in last decades in a single material. This paper describes the main characteristics of MASAI and presents several of the experiences carried out in Spain that demonstrate their viability and great potential regarding the minimisation of the environmental impact of asphalt pavements and their adaptation to the future needs of users and administrators.