Solar Energy 134 (2016) 7281

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Solar Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/solener

Urban pavements used in Brazil: Characterization of solar reflectance

and temperature verification in the field
Joe Arnaldo Villena Del Carpio a,, Deivis Luis Marinoski b, Glicrio Trichs c, Roberto Lamberts b,
Joo Victor Staub de Melo c
a
Soil Mechanics Laboratory, Civil Engineering Department, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Av. Universitria, 1105, Bairro Universitrio, Postal Code 88806-000
Cricima, SC, Brazil
b
Laboratory of Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Civil Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, PO Box 476, Postal Code 88040-970 Florianpolis, SC, Brazil
c
Paving Laboratory, Civil Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, PO Box 476, Postal Code 88040-970 Florianpolis, SC, Brazil

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 1 March 2016
Received in revised form 26 April 2016
Accepted 28 April 2016

Keywords:
Pavements
Colored pigments
Solar reflectance
Surface temperature
Urban heat island

a b s t r a c t
This paper presents the results for the solar reflectance and temperature of 20 types of pavements used in
Brazil for roads, parking lots, squares and sidewalks. New and aged pavement samples were tested. Some
asphalt mixtures and Portland concrete mixtures were developed in the laboratory, with the addition of
colored pigments in different percentages. The standard method ASTM E1918 and the procedure E1918A
were used to measure solar reflectance of the pavements in the field. The difference between the surface
reflectance values for surfaces with a lighter (white Portuguese mosaic) and darker (Reference CPA
asphalt mixture) appearance was approximately 48%, and the corresponding difference in the measure
surface temperature was 18.4 C. A correlation between the solar reflectance and the temperature measured in the field is reported. The results obtained can be used as a reference to design public spaces, contributing to reducing the urban heat island (UHI) and improving the thermal comfort of the users.
2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is characterized by
high air temperatures in densely constructed areas in comparison
with the surrounding rural areas. One of the main causes of the formation of a UHI is the use of large quantities of industrialized
materials (bricks, concrete, asphalt mixtures, stones and others)
in urban zones to replace natural terrain and green areas. These
materials absorb a high percentage of shortwave solar radiation
during the day and irradiate it to the environment more easily than
surfaces normally found in low density sub-urban areas or rural
regions (Romeo and Zinzi, 2005; Solecki et al., 2005). Some consequences of UHIs in large cities are discomfort, diseases related to
excessive heat, an increased energy demand in buildings for the
cooling of environments and an increase in the ozone concentration in the troposphere (Romeo and Zinzi, 2005; Ashie, 2008; Xu
et al., 2012; Rosenfeld et al., 1995; Mirzael and Haghighat, 2010).
High temperatures of urban pavements increment the ambient
temperature within the cities and the temperature difference
between the rural and urban area (Santamouris, 2015). Conventional impervious pavements have dark surface and large thermal
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: joevillena@gmail.com (J.A. Villena Del Carpio).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2016.04.044
0038-092X/ 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

inertia. During summertime they tend to absorb and store solar

radiation and block the evaporative cooling, contributing to the
development of UHI (Hui, 2016).
Over the years, different strategies for the mitigation of UHI
have been proposed, including: the planting of trees for shade
and an increase in green areas in cities, and the use of reflective
surfaces known as cool surfaces for buildings and pavements
(Akbari et al., 1997; Rosenfeld et al., 1998; Synnefa et al., 2007;
Synnefa et al., 2006; Santamouris et al., 2011; Akbari and
Matthews, 2012; Carnielo and Zinzi, 2013; Santamouris, 2013). In
many densely populated cities the installation of green areas presents a challenge and the use of reflective surfaces for buildings
and pavements is a viable solution in the short term. In these locations paved areas can easily represent 20% of the area available for
urbanization (Ashie, 2008). In addition, most of the paved areas are
under the control of the public authorities (roads, sidewalks,
squares, etc.), which facilitates the application of this type of strategy by the government as a measure to mitigate the UHI.
Santamouris et al. (2012) reported a study on the application of
reflective pavements in an urban square in Athens (Greece), totalizing 4500 m2. It was estimated that on a typical summers day the
use of cool pavements would reduce the air temperature in the
square by 1.9 C. At the same time the temperature of the surfaces
in the square will be reduced by 12 C. A study by Georgakis et al.

J.A. Villena Del Carpio et al. / Solar Energy 134 (2016) 7281

(2014), also carried out in Athens, indicated that the use of cool
(highly reflective) materials for pavements and walls in an urban
canyon could reduce the surface temperatures by 78 C at ground
level and the ambient air temperature on a street inside the canyon
by up to 1 C. These and other studies (Santamouris, 2013) have
demonstrated the potential for the application of cool pavements
to improve the climatic conditions in cities. This potential has
encouraged new research projects to develop methods for the
characterization of conventional pavements used in cities and also
to study the performance of other materials typical of each region
(Li et al., 2013; Lin and Ichinose, 2014).
In Brazil, the main material used for the paving of roads in large
cities is a mixture of asphalt and petroleum-derived components. A
publication by Kinouchi et al. (2004) presented a type of coating of
high albedo and low brightness, based on the application of paint
with low reflectance in the visible spectrum (20%) and high reflectance in the infrared region (83%). The results showed that the
maximum surface temperature of the painted samples was
approximately 1517 C lower than that of the conventional
asphalt mixture. However, the use of paints is associated with
the drawback of wear due to the circulation of vehicles. One alternative available to eliminate the wear problem is the use of cold
pigments (high infrared reflectance) as a replacement material
for the asphalt mixture. This option was studied by Synnefa et al.
(2011) and the mixtures produced reached reflectance values of
2755% (high values considering that a conventional asphalt mixture normally reaches 45%). The simulations carried out showed
that in an urban environment the use of these materials can reduce
the air temperature by up to 5 C.
Thus, it is clear that a reduction in the amount of solar radiation
absorbed by surfaces of buildings and pavements contributes to
improving the conditions of thermal comfort and to mitigating
the UHI effect. However, in Brazil studies on the application of cool
surfaces are still rare (Uemoto et al., 2010; Nakata and Souza,

(AgBPP)

(AgRPP )

73

2013; Souza et al., 2009) and information on the reflectance and

thermal conditions of pavements produced with local raw materials is practically non-existent.
This paper reports the results for measurements of the solar
reflectance and temperature of 20 types of pavement used in Brazil (conventional and alterative) for roads, parking lots, squares
and sidewalks. Samples of new and aged pavements were tested.
Some asphalt mixtures and Portland concrete mixtures were
developed in the laboratory, with the addition of colored pigments in different percentages. Also, correlations between the
reflectance values and the temperatures measured in the field
are reported.

2. Materials
In this research the surfaces of new and aged pavements of different types (Portuguese mosaic, Portland concrete and asphalt
mixture) were analyzed. The surfaces were divided into three
groups considering the conservational state of the material:
(a) Aged surfaces: surfaces aged over 20 years, used in an open
central square at UFSC (Federal University of Santa Catarina)
and which have an aged appearance due to weathering and
wear. These surfaces are:
 Sidewalk made of Portuguese mosaic (petit pav) using
basaltic rock (black);
 Sidewalk made of Portuguese mosaic (petit pav) using
calcareous rock (white);
 Sidewalk made of Portuguese mosaic (petit pav) using
rhyolite (red);
 Surface of aged dense asphalt mixture.
Fig. 1 shows the appearance of the aged surfaces in the field.

(AgWPP)

(AgDAM)

Fig. 1. Aged surfaces: Black Petit Pav (AgBPP), White Petit Pav (AgWPP), Red Petit Pav (AgRPP) and Dense Asphalt Mixture (AgDAM). (For interpretation of the references to
color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)

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J.A. Villena Del Carpio et al. / Solar Energy 134 (2016) 7281

(WPP)

(YP)

(RPP)

(RP)

(PPC)

(DPC)

Fig. 2. Appearance of surfaces built in field: White Petit Pav (WPP), Red Petit Pav (RPP), Yellow Paver (YP), Red Paver (RP), Dense Portland Concrete (DPC) and Porous
Portland Concrete (PPC). (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)

(b) New surfaces constructed in the field: new surfaces in the

form of square test sections of 4 m  4 m (length  width)
made in the field exclusively for this research. These surfaces
are:
 Test section of Portuguese mosaic (petit pav) using calcareous rock (white);
 Test section of Portuguese mosaic (petit pav) using rhyolite (red);
 Paver of Portland concrete (red);
 Paver of Portland concrete (yellow);
 Test section of dense Portland concrete;
 Test section of porous Portland concrete.
Fig. 2 shows the appearance of the surfaces constructed in the
field.
(c) New surfaces molded in the laboratory: surfaces of asphalt
mixtures (dense and porous) and of dense Portland concrete,
with the addition of pigments in varying percentages. The
molding of these samples involves the mix design of conventional mixtures (without additions), to which yellow, green
and red pigments were added. After homogenization of the
mixtures, 12 test sections of 0.50 m  0.18 m  0.05 m
(length  width  thickness) were compacted. The compacted test sections were then placed, together with a test
section with dimensions of 1.08 m  1.00 m  0.05 m
(length  width  thickness), to carry out the reflectance
and temperature tests. The surfaces molded were:
 A test section of a conventional dense asphalt mixture
(Reference dense);
 A test section of a dense asphalt mixture with the addition
of yellow pigment (goethite) (Yellow-colorless dense);
 A test section of a dense asphalt mixture with the addition
of green pigment (eskolaite) (Green dense);
 A test section of a dense asphalt mixture with the addition
of red pigment (synthetic hematite) (Red A dense);
 A test section of a dense asphalt mixture with the addition
of red pigment (hematite) (Red B dense);

 A test section of Portland concrete with the addition of yellow pigment (synthetic hematite);
 A test section of a conventional porous asphalt mixture
(Reference CPA);
 A test section of a porous asphalt mixture with the addition of green pigment (eskolaite) (Green CPA);
 A test section of a porous asphalt mixture with the addition of red pigment (synthetic hematite) (Red A CPA); and,
 A test section of a porous asphalt mixture with the addition of red pigment (hematite) (Red B CPA).
Fig. 3 shows the appearance of the test sections molded in the
laboratory. The physical and chemical characteristics of the pigments used in the mixtures are shown in Table 1. The proportions
(by weight) of the materials used in the asphalt mixtures are given
in Table 2.
3. Characterization of solar reflectance
3.1. Method
The solar reflectance of the aged surfaces and the surfaces constructed in the field was measured based on the standard method
ASTM E1918 (ASTM E1918-06(2015), 2015), but using two pyranometers. The reflectance of the surfaces molded in the laboratory
(smaller test sections later taken to the field) was measured
according to the procedure E1918A (Akbari et al., 2008). The equipment used to carry out the test was as follows:
 Sensors two pyranometers, model CMP 21 (Kipp & Zonen),
sensitive to radiation in the range of 0.282.8 micrometers.
 Digital multimeter model 34410A (Agilent) of 6 digits.
 Test rig The two sensors were mounted on a metal arm
connected to a support, similar to a table, which allowed the
sensors to be maintained at a minimum height of 50 cm
above the surface. The metal arm is thin to minimize the shadow area.

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J.A. Villena Del Carpio et al. / Solar Energy 134 (2016) 7281

(YeDAM)

(CoDAM)

(RaDAM)

(GrDAM)

(RbDAM)

(RPC)

Fig. 3. Appearance of surfaces molded on laboratory: Conventional Dense Asphalt Mix (CoDAM), Yellow Dense Asphalt Mix (YeDAM), Green Dense Asphalt Mix (GrDAM), Red
A Dense Asphalt Mix (RaDAM), Red B dense asphalt mix (RbDAM) and Red Portland Concrete (RPC). (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the
reader is referred to the web version of this article.)

Table 1
Physical and chemical properties of pigments.
Pigment

Trade name

Chemical designation

Shape

Density g/cm3

Yellow
Green
Red A
Red B

Bayferrox 921
Colortherm Green GN
Bayferrox 120
Nosbur Color+ R

Iron oxide
Chromium oxide
Synthetic Iron Oxide
Iron oxide (80%) and resins (20%)

Acicular (powder)
Spherical (powder)
Spherical (powder)
Cylindrical (grains)

4.00
5.20
5.00
2.35

Table 2
Proportions of material used in asphalt mix.
Mixture

Conventional Dense Asphalt Mix

Yellow Dense Asphalt Mix
Green Dense Asphalt Mix
Red A Dense Asphalt Mix
Red B Dense Asphalt Mix
Conventional Porous Asphalt Mix
Verde CPA
Green Porous Asphalt Mix
Red A Porous Asphalt Mix

3.2. Results

Proportion of the material, %

Binder

Aggregates

Pigment

5.1
7.3
4.9
4.9
4.5
4.3
4.1
4.1
3.7

94.9
88.7
91.1
91.1
93.1
95.7
91.9
91.9
93.9

4.0
4.0
4.0
2.4

4.0
4.0
2.4

The pyranometers were placed on the end of the metal arm at

opposite positions: one was directed upward in order to record
the incident solar radiation and the other was directed downward
to record the solar radiation reflected by the sample surface.
The reflectance test was carried out in February 2013 (summer
in the southern hemisphere), with clear sky, low wind speed and
relative humidity around 60%. The test was programmed for this
season in order to measure the solar reflectance of the surfaces
under high solar radiation conditions. In order to characterize the
surface texture of the test sections tested, sand patch (ASTM
E965-15, 2015) and drainability (Association Franaise De
Normalisation Afnor NF T 98-254-3, 1993) tests were carried out.
Details of the tests applied to measure the solar reflectance are
shown in Fig. 4.

The results for the solar reflectance tests carried out in the field
are shown in Table 3 and the highest values were obtained for
white Portuguese mosaic (WPP) and dense Portland concrete
(DPC). The lowest value was observed for the mixture Reference
Conventional Porous Asphalt Mix (CoPAM), which was 47.9% less
reflective than the surface of the white Portuguese mosaic (WPP).
In both cases the reflectance value is related to the surface finishing. It should be noted that all the red surfaces (red dense Portland
concrete, red paver and red Portuguese mosaic) had very similar
values, varying between 23.0% and 26.4%. Thus, the use of a red
pigment in Portland concrete would have the same effect in terms
of reflectance as the use of rhyolite rock.
In relation to the asphalt mixtures, the aged sample showed the
highest reflectance value and this was three times higher than that
observed for the new reference dense mixture. The reason for this
difference is that the aged mixture has a worn surface and contains
an aggregate of granite origin with a clear color. Thus, the reflectance of the aggregate has a greater effect on the results than that
of the asphalt binder. In addition, the oxidation of the asphalt binder tends to lead to a lighter (gray) color, favoring higher reflectance values when compared with new darker asphalt mixtures.
This observed oxidation process occurs within a period of five
years.
The difference between the solar reflectance values obtained for
the dense asphalt mixtures and CPA of the same color is associated

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J.A. Villena Del Carpio et al. / Solar Energy 134 (2016) 7281

Fig. 4. Solar reflectance test: (a) Pyranometer used, (b) measure on aged surfaces, (c) measure on surfaces built in field and (d) measure on surfaces molded in laboratory.

Table 3
Solar reflectance/absorptance of surfaces in the field.
Surface

Code

Area, m  m

Solar reflectance, %

Solar absorptance, %

Asphalt Mix
Yellow Dense Asphalt Mix
Green Dense Asphalt Mix
Red A Dense Asphalt Mix
Red B Dense Asphalt Mix
Conventional Dense Asphalt Mix (Reference dense)
Aged Dense Asphalt Mix
Green Porous Asphalt Mix
Red A Porous Asphalt Mix
Red B Porous Asphalt Mix
Conventional Porous Asphalt Mix (Reference CPA)

YeDAM
GrDAM
RaDAM
RbDAM
CoDAM
AgDAM
GrPAM
RaPAM
RbPAM
CoPAM

1.00  0.90
1.00  1.08
1.00  1.08
1.00  1.08
1.00  1.08
4.00  4.00
1.00  1.08
1.00  1.08
1.00  1.08
1.00  1.08

12.5
6.5
7.3
7.4
4.2
15.6
5.5
6.7
7.2
2.0

87.5
93.5
92.7
92.6
95.8
84.4
94.5
93.3
92.8
98.0

DPC
PPC
RPC
RP
YP

4.00  4.00
4.00  4.00
1.00  1.08
4.00  4.00
4.00  4.00

42.7
17.5
23.0
26.4
31.0

57.3
82.5
77.0
73.6
69.0

WPP
RPP
AgWPP
AgRPP
AgBPP

4.00  4.00
4.00  4.00
4.00  4.00
4.00  4.00
4.00  4.00

49.9
24.8
25.7
18.2
9.8

50.1
75.2
74.3
81.8
90.2

Portland Concrete
Dense Portland Concrete
Porous Portland Concrete
Red Portland Concrete
Red Paver
Yellow Paver
Petit Pav Stone (Portuguese mosaic)
White Petit Pav
Red Petit Pav
Aged White Petit Pav
Aged Red Petit Pav
Aged Black Petit Pav

with the surface texture of the samples: the former have rough
almost impermeable surfaces while the latter have permeable porous surfaces. For a smooth surface the solar radiation will be
reflected in several directions a single time, while dense asphalt
mixtures with a rough texture have a greater surface area which
allows a greater amount of solar radiation to be absorbed. For
the CPA mixtures, besides a larger surface area, the porous structure of the surface reflects radiation both upward and toward the
inside of the mixture. Thus, radiation is reflected and absorbed several times within the surface before being reflected back to the
atmosphere (Fig. 5).

The difference between the solar reflectance of the surfaces of

the dense and porous Portland concrete samples will also be associated with the phenomenon of the multiple reflection of rays incident to the surface, as explained in the previous paragraph. Also, of
the Portland concrete surfaces, the yellow paver provided the second highest solar reflectance followed by the red paver and then
the surface of the dense red Portland concrete. In this case, the
appearance of the surface (lighter or darker) was directly related
to the reflectance result. Although the value for the solar reflectance of these surfaces is lower than that for the white Portuguese
mosaic, these surfaces can be useful in environments where it is

J.A. Villena Del Carpio et al. / Solar Energy 134 (2016) 7281

77

Fig. 5. Reflection mechanism of solar radiation by the surfaces: (a) smooth surface, (b) rough surface and (c) porous surface.

Fig. 6. Field test temperature: (a) thermistors and (b) infrared thermometer.

not possible to employ very light surfaces which would hinder the
vision of the user.
In the case of the Portuguese mosaic surfaces it was clear that
ageing and the accumulation of dust influenced the solar reflectance values. The reflectance value for the aged surface of white
stones was around half that obtained for the new surface. Thus,
to maintain the solar reflectance over time these surfaces need to
be periodically cleaned.
4. Characterization of temperature
4.1. Method
The measurements in this stage of the study were not carried
out according to a normalized procedure, since a standard method
for this type of test is not available. However, some authors
(Carnielo and Zinzi, 2013; Li et al., 2013; Uemoto et al., 2010) have
presented temperature evaluations obtained using both infrared
devices (thermometers or cameras) and thermocouples.
The surface temperature of the samples was measured with the
use of a Fluke digital infrared thermometer (model 66 IR) at a distance of 10 cm from the surface, and emittance value set to 0.95. To
measure the internal temperature two perforations were made in
the center of the surfaces, one 1 cm and the other 3 cm deep. The
holes were separated by a horizontal distance of 2.5 cm. An NTC
thermistor, with an ohmic resistance of 130 kX at 20 C, was
placed in each hole at a specified depth. The diameter of the sensor
is 2 mm and the source voltage is 5 V (DC). Fig. 6 shows the thermistors and the thermometer used to measure the temperature
of the mixtures.
The temperature measurements were taken during the day in
February 2013 and the weather conditions were a clear blue sky
and no wind. The data collection was carried out from 10h15 until
16h15, and temperature values (surface, 1 cm and 3 cm deep) were
measured in intervals of one hour. The readings were not simultaneous for all samples, but all occurred in a time interval shorter
than 5 min. During this short interval there was no significant

change in local environmental conditions. So, these values were

considered for each time reference (10h15, 11h15, 12h15...) in all
samples.
4.2. Results
The results for the temperature at the surface (Fig. 7) and at
depths of 1 cm (Fig. 8) and 3 cm (Fig. 9) show a variation in this
parameter according to the time at which the measurement was
taken. In the morning low temperatures were observed for the surfaces, which varied as the intensity of the solar radiation increased
and is absorbed by the surface. However, the absorption of heat did
not cause an immediate rise in temperature, due to the thermal
capacity of the material. For this reason the highest temperature
was not recorded at midday (the time of highest solar radiation),
but instead at 13:00 (local time). At this time the intensity of the
solar radiation begins to decrease and also the surface releases its
stored heat to the environment. Table 4 shows the values obtained
for the solar radiation, humidity and temperature at the test location
(1 m above the surface of the ground) during the test period.
The maximum value measured for the temperature of each
pavement is given in Table 5. The results show that the temperature is directly related to the solar reflectance of the surface. The
most reflective surfaces (Portuguese mosaic and dense Portland
concrete) had the lowest temperatures and the least reflective surfaces (Reference dense and CPA mixtures) reached the highest
temperatures. The surface temperature measurements showed
that the difference between the surface with highest solar reflectance (white Portuguese mosaic WPP) and that with the lowest
reflectance (Reference CPA mixture CoPAM) was 18.4 C. At a
depth of 1 cm the lowest temperature recorded was also for the
white Portuguese mosaic (WPP) and the highest was for the Reference dense asphalt mixture CoDAM (with a difference between
the two surfaces of 17.9 C). The fact that the highest temperature
at 1 cm deep was not recorded for the Reference CPA (CoPAM)
could be related to the porous texture of the surface which allows
evaporative cooling.

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J.A. Villena Del Carpio et al. / Solar Energy 134 (2016) 7281

Fig. 7. Surface temperature of samples.

Fig. 8. Samples temperature to one centimeter depth.

Fig. 9. Samples temperature to three centimeter depth.

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J.A. Villena Del Carpio et al. / Solar Energy 134 (2016) 7281
Table 4
Solar radiation, humidity and environmental temperature during the day test.
Time, hh:mm
2

Solar radiation, W m
Environmental humidity, %
Environmental temperature, C

10:15

11:15

12:15

13:15

14:15

15:15

16:15

641.65
61
28.3

735.16
62
27.7

763.54
51
2939

725.32
48
31.0

627.55
59
28.8

466.23
57
30.8

274.86
57
29.8

Table 5
Maximum temperature measured on the pavements.
Pavementsa

Code

Surface

1 cm depth

3 cm depth

Time

Time

Time

Asphalt Mix
Green Dense Asphalt Mix
Red A Dense Asphalt Mix
Red B Dense Asphalt Mix
Conventional Dense Asphalt Mix (Reference dense)
Green Porous Asphalt Mix
Red A Porous Asphalt Mix
Red B Porous Asphalt Mix
Conventional Porous Asphalt Mix (Reference CPA)

GrDAM
RaDAM
RbDAM
CoDAM
GrPAM
RaPAM
RbPAM
CoPAM

47.5
49.4
48.7
50.4
48.9
48.9
49.0
50.9

13:15
12:15
13:15
12:15
12:15
13:15
13:15
12:15

51.5
52.5
51.0
54.7
53.9
53.1
52.8
53.9

13:15
13:15
13:15
13:15
12:15
12:15
12:15
11:15

52.0
52.5
53.2
52.8
53.3
52.6
53.5
55.2

13:15
13:15
13:15
13:15
12:15
12:15
12:15
12:15

Portland Concrete
Dense Portland Concrete
Porous Portland Concrete
Red Paver
Yellow Paver

DPC
PPC
RP
YP

35.4
43.3
40.1
38.6

14:15
14:15
13:15
13:15

38.8
48.5
41.9
41.9

13:15
12:15
13:15
13:15

37.9
45.2
41.9
42.2

14:15
13:15
13:15
13:15

Petit Pav Stone

White Petit Pav
Red Petit Pav

WPP
RPP

32.5
38.3

13:15
13:15

36.8
41.7

13:15
14:15

35.9
41.1

13:15
14:15

Unfortunately it was not possible to collect temperature data of some pavements due to difficulties with data acquisition.

At a depth of 3 cm the lowest temperature was also recorded for

the surface of the white Portuguese mosaic (WPP) and the highest
was for the Reference CPA mixture (CoPAM). In this case the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures was 19.3 C. It
was noted that the surface temperature is lower than that inside
the sample which is due to radiative heat exchange between the
external surface and the surroundings, and also convective heat
exchange, due to the flow of ambient air in contact with the external surface.
5. Solar reflectance and temperature correlation
Figs. 1012 show the linear fit obtained with the plotting of the
values for solar reflectance versus temperature determined for the
samples in the field (for peak conditions Table 5). In the figures it
can be observed that the surfaces with higher values for the solar
reflectance show lower temperatures than those with low solar
reflectance.
According to the data collected the use of the Dense Portland
Concrete (DPC) instead of the Conventional Dense Asphalt Mixture
(CoDAM) will reduce the surface temperature by approximately
15 C. This reduction is important considering that both materials
are used as paving for roads and parking lots. If the application
of a reflective surface such as DPC (reflectance 42.7%) is not recommended for roads, due to the vision of driver being dazzled, a red
(RP) or yellow pavers (YP) with reflectance 2631% could be used
allowing a reduction of approximately 1012 C in the temperature
at the site.
The coefficient for the linear fitting of the data in Figs. 1012 is
P0.95. This good correlation shows that the linear model can be
used to estimate a possible variation of surface and internal temperatures of a potential paving material as a function of its reflectance. It is worth mentioning that other parameters, as the thermal
emittance, can also influence the temperature of a material. This

Fig. 10. Solar reflectance and surface temperatures of samples.

Fig. 11. Solar reflectance and samples temperature to one centimeter depth.

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J.A. Villena Del Carpio et al. / Solar Energy 134 (2016) 7281

Technological Development Ministry of Science, Technology

and Innovation).
References

Fig. 12. Solar reflectance and samples temperature to three centimeter depth.

was not considered in this study, nevertheless the emittances of

the samples used in this study are high (0.9).

6. Conclusions
In this work results of solar reflectance and temperature of new
and aged pavements of different types (Portuguese mosaic, Portland concrete and asphalt mixture) were analyzed.
In the tests carried out in the field, the highest values of solar
reflectance were obtained for white Portuguese mosaic WPP
(49.9%) and dense Portland concrete DPC (42.7%). The lowest
value was observed for the Conventional Porous Asphalt Mix
CoPAM (2.0%). The red surfaces of type Portuguese mosaic and
Portland Concrete (red dense Portland concrete, red paver and
red Portuguese mosaic) had values varying between 23.0% and
26.4%. Also, the red surfaces of type Asphalt Mix (dense and porous) all had very similar values, varying between 6.7% and 7.4%.
Still regarding the asphalt mixtures, the aged sample showed the
highest reflectance value (15.6%) and this was three times higher
than that observed for the new Reference dense mixture.
It was clearly observed a direct relation between the solar
reflectance and the temperatures of the surfaces studied. The surfaces with a visibly lighter appearance (white Portuguese mosaic
and dense Portland concrete) had higher solar reflectance values
and lower temperatures compared with the other alternatives.
The difference between the surface reflectance values for surfaces
with a lighter (white Portuguese mosaic) or darker (Conventional
Porous Asphalt Mix) appearance was approximately 47.9% and
the corresponding difference in the surface temperatures was
18.4 C.
The measurements results of solar reflectance and the temperature allowed a trend line to be constructed, which related these
two parameters with an excellent coefficient for the linear fitting
of the data (R2 P 0.95), enabling the surface and internal temperatures of a material to be estimated based on solar reflectance value
of the surface.
The results of this study provide important information for
Brazilian architects and landscapers regarding reflectance, which
could be taken into consideration in the design of public spaces
such as squares, patios and parking lots, contributing to the mitigation of the UHI and enhancing the thermal comfort of the users.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support
provided by the Brazilian agencies: CAPES (Coordination
for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel Ministry of
Education) and CNPq (National Council for Scientific and

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