Application of water-organic emulsions for the recovery of asphalt concrete

Abstract

Old asphalt utilization by means of its recycling and re-use in road construction is becoming increasingly important. Its technical and economic efficiency is proved and, in some countries, it reaches ten millions of tons per year. Cold recycling based, in particular, on the use of emulsified bituminous materials is more preferable. However, the modern practice of producing emulsified bituminous materials by using expensive tension-active emulsifiers and equipment of emulsion bases, often of foreign production, makes this seemingly progressive method of recycling quite expensive. In this regard, there is a need for the development of alternative activators based on organic substances. The aim is to study the possibility of water-toluene and water-kerosene emulsions creating and using as activators of cold recycling processes of asphaltic concrete road. The objectives of the study are: selection of the emulsion components ratio as well as the effect activators obtained on the strength and hydrophysical properties of recycled asphaltic concrete. In applying standard analysis of concrete based on asphalt granulate, it was found that the obtained emulsion actively interact with a sealing coat of concrete, based on asphalt granulate, and capable to form composites with a compressive strength of 1.7 MPa that allows their use in the lower layers of road coatings.