Evaluating Modified Asphalt Binder Comprising Waste Paper Fiber and Recycled Low-Density Polyethylene

Abstract

The main concept of using waste and recycled materials as modifiers for construction materials, is to improve their performance, keep the resources, and conserve the environment from pollution problems. This investigation is tended to evaluate the effect of using two different types of modifiers on the physical properties of asphalt binder. The modifiers are Recycled-Low-Density-Polyethylene (R-LDPE) polymer and waste-Paper Fiber (w-PF), they were mixed individually and collectively with neat asphalt binder. The first set of modified binders comprised neat binder with 3% R-LDPE alone, the second is comprised 0.3%, 0.5% and 0.7% of w-PF alone, while the third comprised collective modifiers of 3% R-LDPE and 0.3%, 0.5% and 0.7% w-PF. The influence of these modifiers on neat asphalt binder was evaluated in terms of penetration (Pen.), softening point (SP), penetration index (PI), ductility, rotational viscosity (RV), penetration aging index (PAI) and softening point index (SPI). The obtained results indicate that the utilization of modifiers helps in improving the physical properties of asphalt binders by different levels. the modification by collective modifiers leads to an increase SP, RV, PI, PAI, and SPI to 65%, 2 times, 1.044, 0.93, 2.5 respectively compared to neat bitumen. As well, leads to a decrease in both Pen. and ductility to the levels 45% and 79% respectively. This indicates that the use of waste and recycled modifiers especially in the combined form encourage the production of comparative modified asphalt binder.