Introducing
reinforcing bars made of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) into concrete as a
substitute for ordinary steel reinforcing bars may have economic, as well as
environmental consequences. A comprehensive approach was used to study the
environmental impact of such substitution/replacement, taking into
consideration the whole life cycle of the pavement, from cradle to grave,
including maintenance activities and changes in concrete technology resulting
from the change in rebar type. The deficiencies of the current tools available
for the assessment of environmental impacts were also investigated in order to
introduce a more reliable model. It was found that the environmental impact can
be reduced significantly at the erection stage due to the possibility of
reducing the cement content or the thickness of the concrete layer covering the
reinforcing bars, since special protection of the steel against corrosion is no
longer needed. During the service life of the pavement, additional
environmental impacts are eliminated due to a decrease in the number of
required maintenance activities, each of which has direct (materials and
construction energy) and indirect (disturbance to traffic) impacts.