Chemical, Thermal, and Rheological Performance of Asphalt Binder Containing Plastic Waste

Rosa Veropalumbo, Francesca Russo, Cristina Oreto, Giovanna Giuliana Buonocore, Letizia Verdolotti, Herminio Muiambo, Salvatore Antonio Biancardo and Nunzio Viscione
Additional contact information
Rosa Veropalumbo: Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Federico II University of Naples, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Francesca Russo: Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Federico II University of Naples, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Cristina Oreto: Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Federico II University of Naples, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Giovanna Giuliana Buonocore: Institute of Composites, Polymers and Biomaterials, National Research Council, P.le E. Fermi, 1, 80055 Naples, Italy
Letizia Verdolotti: Institute of Composites, Polymers and Biomaterials, National Research Council, P.le E. Fermi, 1, 80055 Naples, Italy
Herminio Muiambo: Chemistry Department, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo P.O. Box 257, Mozambique
Salvatore Antonio Biancardo: Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Federico II University of Naples, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Nunzio Viscione: Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Federico II University of Naples, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 24, 1-21

Abstract: In order to meet the environmental needs caused by large plastic waste accumulation, in the road construction sector, an effort is being made to integrate plastic waste with the function of polymer into asphalt mixtures; with the purpose of improving the mechanical performance of the pavement layers. This study focuses on the effect of a recycled mixture of plastic waste on the chemical, thermal, and rheological properties of designed asphalt blends and on the identification of the most suitable composition blend to be proposed for making asphalt mixture through a dry modification method. Thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis were carried out to investigate the effect of various concentrations and dimensions of plastic waste (PW) on the neat binder (NB). The frequency sweep test and the multiple stress creep and recovery test were performed to analyze the viscoelastic behavior of the asphalt blends made up of PW in comparison with NB and a commercial modified bitumen (MB). It has been observed that the presence of various types of plastic materials having different melting temperatures does not allow a total melting of PW powder at the mixing temperatures. However, the addition of PW in the asphalt blend significantly improved the aging resistance without affecting the oxidation process of the plastic compound present in the asphalt blend. Furthermore, when the asphalt blend mixed with 20% PW by the weight of bitumen is adopted into the asphalt mixture as polymer, it improves the elasticity and strengthens the mixture better than the mixture containing MB.

Keywords: plastic waste; recycled asphalt blends; rheological analysis; asphalt mixture; FTIR; differential scanning calorimetry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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