Development of Asphalt Mixtures for Sustainable Pavements

Abstract

Currently, reusing materials in the industry to reduce the environmental impact generated is becoming important for society. The paving industry is not lagging behind, developing sustainable solutions. One of the main wastes generated on the roads is the asphalt material itself after its life cycle has been completed, called reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). However, reusing these materials and avoiding their accumulation in asphalt plants and/or sending them to landfill sites is one of the objectives of the paving industry. In this paper, a study was conducted of the use of RAP in asphalt mixtures, decreasing the manufacturing temperature of these mixtures, generating a greater environmental contribution. Three percentages of RAP were evaluated at three different manufacturing temperatures, all of them below the manufacturing temperature of a conventional asphalt mixture. Different mechanical properties, such as water sensitivity and permanent deformation, were evaluated to check their behaviour versus a conventional hot asphalt mixture. Additionally, energy consumption, manufacturing cost and the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were assessed. The results obtained show that the recycled asphalt mixtures manufactured at low temperature have an excellent performance, demonstrating that the use of RAP in asphalt mixtures at low temperatures is economically, technically and environmentally feasible.