Abstract
Conventional asphalt mixtures used for road paving require high manufacturing temperatures and therefore high energy expenditure, which has a negative environmental impact and creates risk in the workplace owing to high emissions of pollutants, greenhouse gases, and toxic fumes. Reducing energy consumption and emissions is a continuous challenge for the asphalt industry. Previous studies have focused on the reduction of emissions without characterizing their composition, and detailed characterization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in asphalt fumes is scarce. This communication describes the characterization and evaluation of VOCs and SVOCs from asphalt mixtures prepared at lower production temperatures using natural zeolite; in some cases, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) was used. Fumes were extracted from different asphalt mix preparations using a gas syringe and then injected into hermetic gas sample bags. The compounds present in the fumes were sampled with a fiber and analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In general, the preparation of warm mix asphalts (WMA) using RAP and natural zeolite as aggregates showed beneficial effects, reducing VOCs and SVOCs compared to hot mix asphalts (HMA). The fumes captured presented a similar composition to those from HMA, consisting principally of saturated and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds but with few halogenated compounds and no polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Thus, the paving mixtures described here are a friendlier alternative for the environment and for the health of road workers, in addition to permitting the re-use of RAP.
Highlights
The most widely used construction material in the world for constructing the surface courses of road pavement structures is hot mix asphalt (HMA); the construction and rehabilitation of paved asphalt roads produce a negative environmental impact
Between 57 and 81 compounds were identified in fumes captured from the asphalt mixtures, corresponding to 70.8%, 76.8%, 70.6%, 79.3%, 77.9%, 74.8%, 76.5%, 74.3%, and 73.3% of the compounds detected in P-155, Z0.3-135, Z0.6-135, PR10-155, Z0.6-R10-125, PR20-155, Z0.6-R20-135, PR30-155, and Z0.6-R30-145, respectively
Considering the lower production of toxic aromatic and chlorinated compounds compared with the literature, and the fact that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were not detected, the warm mix asphalts (WMA) prepared in the present study should be less harmful to paving workers and the environment than HMA
Summary
The most widely used construction material in the world for constructing the surface courses of road pavement structures is hot mix asphalt (HMA); the construction and rehabilitation of paved asphalt roads produce a negative environmental impact. Pavement rehabilitation projects generate residues from milling the upper layers of asphalt-paved roads, called reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). These residues consist of aggregates and asphalt binder, which can be used as raw material for new asphalt mixtures. The use of RAP is nowadays a common sustainable practice in the pavement industry; it saves on virgin construction materials and construction costs [1], and it reduces the environmental impacts related to residue accumulation and the use of virgin raw materials [2]. Growing international pressure to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions has led the scientific and technical communities to develop a number of cleaner and more sustainable new technologies for asphalt materials [9,10]
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