Properties and economics evaluation of utilization of oil shale waste as an alternative environmentally-friendly building materials in pavement engineering

Abstract

In recent years, oil shale has been exploited as an alternative resource for oil, and at the same time, a large amount of oil shale waste has been produced. However, many environmental problems have arisen with the accumulation of oil shale waste, so huge economic and environmental benefits will be generated along with the reuse of oil shale waste. This paper evaluates the application of oil shale waste residue in pavement engineering through Marshall test, rutting test and splitting test. By exploring the alternative particle size range of oil shale waste in three asphalt pavement (AC-16, SMA-13, OGFC-16), a comprehensive utilization method is obtained that satisfies both the strength requirement and the cost. The experimental results show that in the three asphalt pavements, the asphalt mixture with excellent road performance can be obtained as the oil shale waste residue instead of the stone material with the particle size ranging from 0.075 mm to 2.36 mm. Compared with ordinary asphalt pavement, the comprehensive performance of AC-16 asphalt pavement is increased by about 30%, the cost is reduced by 3.2%; the comprehensive performance of SMA-13 asphalt pavement is increased by about 25%, and the cost is reduced by 0.6%; the comprehensive performance of OGFC-16 asphalt pavement is increased by about 20%, and the cost is reduced by 3.5%. Overall, the test results show that the oil shale waste residue instead of the fine aggregate in the asphalt mixture can not only effectively utilize the oil shale waste, but also improve the engineering performance of the asphalt pavement.