Within the past two decades or so, the asphalt paving industry has responded positively to increasing\nglobal concerns over shrinking natural resource reserves and worsening environmental\nconditions through the development and deployment of warm-mix asphalt technologies. Such\ntechnologies make it possible to produce and place asphalt concrete at reduced temperatures\ncompared to conventional hot-mix methods. Several studies have reported on the potential of\nwarm-mix asphalt with regard to improved pavement performance, efficiency and environmental\nstewardship. This paper reviews several of those studies in the context of pavement sustainability.\nOverall, warm-mix asphalt provides substantial sustainability benefits similar to or, in some cases,\nbetter than conventional hot-mix asphalt. Sustainability benefits include lower energy use, reduced\nemissions, and potential for increased reclaimed asphalt pavement usage. Growth in utilization\nof warm-mix asphalt worldwide may, in the not-too-distant future, make the material the\nstandard for asphalt paving. Regardless, there are concerns over some aspects of warm-mix asphalt\nsuch as lower resistance to fatigue cracking, rutting and potential water-susceptibility problems,\nparticularly with mixes prepared with water-based technologies, which require further research\nto address.
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