Rheological and Fatigue Characteristics of Asphalt Mastics and Mixtures Containing Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) Residues

Abstract

The large-scale implementation of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) has put great pressure on waste management and environmental protection. Road construction engineering has also been confronted with the challenges of the heavy consumption of non-renewable mineral resources. Therefore, we evaluated the feasibility of recycling and reusing MSWI residue as an alternative to limestone filler (LF) in transport infrastructure. We investigated the rheological characteristics and fatigue performance of asphalt mastics and mixtures containing MSWI residue. Firstly, a particle size analyzer and environmental scanning electron microscope were adopted to characterize the particle distribution and surface micromorphology of the investigated fillers, respectively. Then, tests for determining the steady shear viscosity and multiple-stress creep recovery were conducted to evaluate the high-temperature rheology of five asphalt mastics. Meanwhile, we used Burgers models with fitting parameters to describe the classic creep recovery measurements and viscoelastic responses. The wheel-tracking test revealed the rutting resistance, and the linear amplitude sweep (LAS) and time sweep tests were combined to investigate the fatigue performances of the five asphalt mastics. A dynamic creep test identified the fatigue life of the asphalt mixtures according to the flow number index. Finally, statistical analysis was conducted to identify the correlations between the rheological and fatigue properties of the mastics and mixtures (R2 over 0.87 and 0.78, respectively). Since the fatigue life predictions for the asphalt mastic decreased by over 42.9% according to the MSWI residue/LF volume ratio, the results of the correlations could improve pavement designs. The substitution of the mineral filler in asphalt mixtures with MSWI residue could be a sustainable strategy for the road construction sector.

Viscoelastic Characteristics and Mechanical Performances of Asphalt Mastic and Mixtures with Fly Ash from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Residues

“…After applying the shift factor α T , the least squares method was used to fit the Sigmoidal equation [27] and obtain the master curve (Equation (3)).…”

“…where E* is the measured dynamic modulus; θ is the minimum value of the dynamic modulus; α is the maximum value of the dynamic modulus; and β and γ are regression parameters representing the shape of the dynamic modulus master curve. The master curves of asphalt mastics were also established by applying a doublelogistic model [27] according to Equation (4).…”

“…However, field applications have revealed that even when the results of rutting tests conform to specified standards, the guarantee of high-temperature stability in the pavement during service remains uncertain [25]. According to an NCHRP report, the flow number (Fn) describes the boundary points of the second and third stages in the permanent strain curve of the asphalt mixture [26,27]. The greater the Fn, the smaller the creep damage probability, and the results of the flow number test correlate with the rut depth [28,29].…”

Thermal Characteristics and Temperature Distribution of Asphalt Mixtures Containing Residues from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration

“…Municipal solid waste undergoes a combustion and pulverization process at coal-fired power stations, where complex physical and chemical reactions occur [12] until the MSWI residues harden into fine-grained powder [13]. High-temperature gases (mainly carbon dioxide and nitrogen) in the combustion furnace can cause the MSWIRs to expand violently [14], generating a lightweight [15,16] and hollow microsphere structure [17,18].…”