Feasibility of Using Alternative Asphalt Binders for Sustainable Pavements

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 7512

Special Issue Editors

Department of Civil Engineering, Universidade da Coruña, 15071 Coruña, Spain
Interests: pavement engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Civil Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, University of A Coruña, 15008 A Coruña, Spain
Interests: sustainable development; construction; civil engineering; materials; building materials; construction materials; sustainable construction; cement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Asphalt is a petroleum-derived material which is employed as a binder for mixtures in highway pavements. In recent years, due to the restriction of petroleum, higher price, and the undesirable effect on the environment, there has been an unceasing demand to find efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly alternative binders to substitute asphalt. The main topics of the issue will be regarding the use of alternative asphalt binders for bituminous mixtures. The alternative binders can be totally or partially derived from bio-based materials. The bio-based materials can be bio-oils, additives, waste materials, etc.  According to the percentage of virgin asphalt mass replacement, alternative binders can be used as an alternative for asphalt (75–100% virgin asphalt mass replacement); as an extender (10–75% virgin asphalt mass replacement); and as an asphalt modifier (<10% virgin asphalt mass replacement).

The following are some of the topics proposed for this Special Issue:

  • Pavement engineering;
  • Sustainable pavements;
  • Alternative asphalt binders;
  • Use of bio-based materials as alternative asphalt binders:
  • Plant based and recycled oils (soybean, corn, cornstone, cane, etc.);
  • Biomass-manure;
  • Lignin;
  • Microalgea or algal biomass;
  • Use of polymer, plastic, and tire rubber as alternative asphalt binders.

We hope you will contribute your high-quality research, and we look forward to reading your valuable results.

Prof. Ignacio Pérez
Prof. Ana R. Pasandín
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Pavement engineering
  • Asphalt binders
  • Sustainable pavements.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4384 KiB  
Article
Impact of Preheating Temperatures and RAP Characteristics on the Activation of RAP Binder
by Yifu Meng and Liping Liu
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(23), 8378; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10238378 - 25 Nov 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2124
Abstract
Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is preheated to 120 °C or lower in hot central plant recycling due to specification and equipment limitations. However, the insufficient activation of reclaimed asphalt (RA) caused by low preheating temperature may affect the final properties of reclaimed asphalt [...] Read more.
Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is preheated to 120 °C or lower in hot central plant recycling due to specification and equipment limitations. However, the insufficient activation of reclaimed asphalt (RA) caused by low preheating temperature may affect the final properties of reclaimed asphalt mixtures (RAM) and lead to insufficient utilization of RA binder. This study evaluated the influence of preheating temperature and aging of RA binder on binder activation by producing specimens with 100% RAP. The volumetric and mechanical properties of specimens were analyzed to reflect the effect of activation. The results indicate that preheating temperature has a significant impact on the activation of RA binder. Regardless of the source of RAP, RA binder can be highly activated at 180 °C, while the degree of activation decreases significantly at 120 °C. By using an artificial RAP with different degrees of aging, the aging of RA binder is found to be harmful to activation only when the preheating temperature is low (such as 120 °C). Hence, if the equipment is capable of doing so, it is better to raise the preheating temperature of RAP to improve the activation of RA binder, especially for binder with a higher degree of aging. Full article
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12 pages, 5661 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Performance Characterization of Lignin-Modified Asphalt Mixture
by Yi Zhang, Xuancang Wang, Guanyu Ji, Zhenyang Fan, Yuchen Guo, Wenze Gao and Lei Xin
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(9), 3324; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10093324 - 10 May 2020
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 3053
Abstract
Lignin, as a bio-based waste, has been utilized in the asphalt industry due to various advantages. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two lignin products (lignin powder and lignin fiber) on the mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. The raveling, rutting, thermal [...] Read more.
Lignin, as a bio-based waste, has been utilized in the asphalt industry due to various advantages. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two lignin products (lignin powder and lignin fiber) on the mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. The raveling, rutting, thermal and fatigue cracking resistance, and moisture susceptibility of different asphalt mixtures were respectively evaluated by the Cantabro test, wheel loading tracking test, semicircular bending test, four-point beam bending test, and freezing-thaw cyclic test. Results show that asphalt mixture with lignin powder-modified asphalt improved the overall mechanical performance. However, lignin fiber showed contradictory effects on certain mechanical properties, i.e., improved rutting resistance and thermal cracking resistance of asphalt mixture, degraded abrasion resistance, fatigue performance, and moisture stability. Therefore, cautions need to be taken when incorporating lignin fiber into asphalt mixture. Full article
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17 pages, 2709 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation on the Use of Waste Elastomeric Polymers for Bitumen Modification
by Sadegh Yeganeh, Mahmoud Ameri, Davide Dalmazzo and Ezio Santagata
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(8), 2671; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10082671 - 13 Apr 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1814
Abstract
The study described in this paper focused on the possible use of waste products coming from the production of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) and polybutadiene rubber (PBR), as bitumen modifiers. Modified binders containing these products were prepared in the laboratory with different polymer dosages [...] Read more.
The study described in this paper focused on the possible use of waste products coming from the production of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) and polybutadiene rubber (PBR), as bitumen modifiers. Modified binders containing these products were prepared in the laboratory with different polymer dosages and were thereafter subjected to the evaluation of empirical and rheological properties. For comparative purposes, the study also considered SBR and PBR products of premium quality. Ageing effects were also taken into account by means of proper laboratory simulations. Obtained results indicated that the two types of polymer (SBR and PBR) have completely different effects on the rheology and expected performance of the resulting modified binders. In particular, while the two polymers showed similar effects in terms of resistance to permanent deformation, the SBR products proved to be superior from the viewpoint of fatigue resistance. However, only minor differences were found when comparing the effects produced by premium quality and waste polymers. As a result of the experimental findings, it was concluded that the use of waste SBR polymers can be an attractive solution for the production of affordable modified binders. Full article
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