Development of Porous Asphalt with Bitumen Emulsion, Electric arc Furnace Slag and Cellulose Fibers for Medium Traffic Roads

Abstract

The construction of road infrastructure is one of the most polluting activities that exists today. Therefore, the use of waste from other industries is an excellent solution, since it reduces the consumption of raw materials, reduces CO2 emissions and avoids the disposal of waste in a landfill. In this study, electric arc furnace slag, cellulose fibers from the papermaking industry and bitumen emulsion were used for the conformation of sustainable and porous bituminous mixtures. Electric arc furnace slag was used as a high-resistance aggregate with a capacity sufficient to support traffic loads. Cellulose fibers were added to increase the percentage of binder in the mixture without bleeding problems, thereby achieving greater tensile strength. To do this, first the waste was physically and chemically characterized, then different mixtures were conformed and finally the mixtures were studied by means of the loss by wear and Marshall tests. The results reflected an optimal combination of materials that provided the best results in the mechanical tests, obtaining much better results than the mixtures with discontinuous grading and traditional bitumen emulsion. Therefore, a sustainable, porous and economical mixture for road use is obtained in this research.

Evaluation of the Physical, Chemical and Environmental Properties of Ladle Furnace Slag for Their Utilization as Filler in Bituminous Mixtures

“…This has demonstrated the cementitious properties of ladle furnace slag [28]. Accordingly, this waste has interesting particularities for its use as a filler in bituminous mixtures [29][30][31]. However, it is necessary to carry out a chemical characterization to determine which compounds are pollutants or harmful to the final product; and a physical characterization must be carried out to corroborate that it does indeed have the appropriate properties for use as a filler.…”

Determination of the Chemical, Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of Electric Arc Furnace Slags and Environmental Evaluation of the Process for Their Utilization as an Aggregate in Bituminous Mixtures

“…Electric arc furnace slags have been used as building materials in different investigations, and even in real cases [18,19]. The electric arc furnace slags have been used as an aggregate for hot mix asphalt [20,21], warm mix asphalt [22] and even for mixes with bituminous emulsion [23]; this shows its excellent mechanical characteristics and its use in developing high quality bituminous mixtures [24]. However, in most cases the characteristics of this by-product have not been maximized and its use has been relegated to low-level materials [25].…”

Study of the Incorporation of Biomass Bottom Ash as a Filler for Discontinuous Grading Bituminous Mixtures with Bitumen Emulsion

“…At the same time, and with the aim of reducing the extraction of raw materials, waste has been reused for the formation of bituminous mixtures. These wastes include scrap tires [21], mining waste [22,23], ceramic waste [24], recycled concrete aggregate [25], steel slags [26][27][28], recycled glass [29], etc. Most of the investigations concluded that a detailed study of the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of the wastes, as well as a thorough knowledge of the bituminous mixes, led to end products of similar quality to those made with conventional materials and techniques.…”