Abstract
In this research, the moisture susceptibility of a nanoclay-modified asphalt concrete (AC) mixture containing plastic film (in flakes) collected as urban waste was evaluated with specimens subjected to the tecnico accelerated ageing (TEAGE) procedure. The TEAGE procedure attempts to simulate—in a laboratory setting—the effect of field ageing by applying watering/drying cycles and ultraviolet radiation. For comparison purposes, three AC mixtures were considered, one for control, without plastic and nanoclay, a mixture with only plastic, and a mixture with both plastic and nanoclay. Furthermore, only half of the specimens were subjected to the ageing procedure. The plastic was added to the mixture using the dry process, and the nanoclay was blended with the bitumen before mixture preparation. The moisture susceptibility was evaluated, using a total of 48 Marshall specimens, by the indirect tensile strength ratio (ITSR). From the results of this study, the nanoclay-modified AC mixture containing plastic film presented slightly higher indirect tensile strength (ITS) values, lower moisture susceptibility, and enhanced ageing resistance. These slight improvements can be justified by the reduced air voids content of the samples and consequently they must be seen as conservative. Nevertheless, the modification of AC mixtures with flakes of plastic and nanoclay can be a viable solution for the recycling of plastic film collected as urban waste, being an eco-friendly alternative to disposal in landfills.
Highlights
Plastics cover a wide range of synthetic polymers, being used for the production of a very wide range of products that are extensively used in our everyday life
The materials and methods used in this study were selected to assess the moisture susceptibility and the ageing effect on nanoclay-modified asphalt concrete (AC) mixtures containing flakes of plastic film collected as urban waste
Compared with the indirect tensile strength (ITS) of the control AC mixture, the plastic modified AC mixture presented an increase of 12%, and the plastic and nanoclay-modified AC mixture presented an increase of 5%
Summary
Plastics cover a wide range of synthetic polymers, being used for the production of a very wide range of products that are extensively used in our everyday life. They are applied in many industry sectors, such as building and construction, electronics, automotive, agriculture, health, packaging, and energy [1], making the world plastic production increase year by year at a rate of about 4%, reaching almost 350 million tonnes in 2017 (65 million tonnes in Europe) [2]. Packaging is the most demanded sector with 40% of all plastic production, 63% of all plastic waste, and 83% of all plastic that is recycled [3]. Roughly 50% of plastic packaging waste from households is plastic film, mainly in the form of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) [3,4]
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