Adoption of Asphalt Binder Performance Grades for Morocco Considering Climate Change

International audienceThis study deals with the development of asphalt binder performance grading (PG) distribution maps of Morocco and the assessment of climate change effects on pavement design (structural impact), energy consumption, and CO2 emissions (environmental impact). The PG maps were made at the current time (2020) as well as at future times (2050 and 2080) considering climate change. To achieve this aim, the weather data of 30 cities, including maximum and minimum daily air temperatures, were analyzed for temperature zoning over the last 35 years (1985 to 2020). Prospective temperatures between 2050 and 2080 were estimated using a time series analysis. Pavement temperature was then determined using LTPP and SHRP models. Results revealed different asphalt binders PG from PG52-10 to PG76-10 and PG64-16 depending on the selected reliability. The diversity of climate in Morocco may explain this variety of asphalt binder PG. Furthermore, time series analysis showed no changes in the PG distribution map of 2050 compared with the 2020 map, while the map was changed in 2080. The structural and environmental investigations showed that the asphalt layer should be increased by 0.22 cm for each 1 °C temperature increase to maintain the same pavement performance. So, more than 1500 BTUs of energy will be consumed per meter square of the asphalt layer. In addition, ignoring the climate change effect on asphalt pavement decreases the lifetime of pavement by about 6.23 to 31.73% for 1 and 6 °C of temperature increase, respectively