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Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 28508

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nuha Mashaan

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, Curtin University, Australia & Civil Engineering Department, Edith Cowan University (ECU), Perth, WA, Australia
Interests: green concrete; nanomaterials; sustainability; recycling materials; highway and geotechnical engineering; geopolymer concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Nur Izzi Md Yusoff

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
Interests: pavement materials, construction, design and rehabilitation and road safety.

Prof. Dr. Saad Issa Sarsam

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Guest Editor

Department of of civil engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, IRAQ.
Interests: pavement engineering; roller compacted concrete; modified asphalt; asphalt stabilization; road user characteristic's; Bacterial concrete pavement.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the world population increasing, the amount of waste generation is growing rapidly. This amount of waste causes a huge rise in the cost of waste disposal and is filling future sites for landfills. Many studies are being conducted to research the advantages of reusing waste material in an economically and environmentally sustainable way. Many investigations on the effects of reusing hazardous materials on construction material properties and their environmental impacts have already been conducted. Due to the lack of raw materials and natural resources, using waste solid material in civil engineering projects, especially road construction, has become an issue worthy of consideration. Currently, the applications of waste by-product in geotechnical and pavement engineering are of great interest in research and development. Historically, because of the huge amount of material needed for construction, pavements have been suitable structures to recycle a wide range of waste materials. Finding reasonable and cost-effective solutions for waste material disposal, such as recycling, is one of the most important responsibilities of scientists, engineers, researchers, and governments. These solutions should not only consider the environmental advantages, but also reuse the solid waste materials in projects such as road construction. Therefore, effective recycling of waste is one of the solutions sought by many researchers. Well-managed recycling of waste has several advantages, including:

Contributing to the reduction or prevention of exhaustion of natural resources;
Contributing to a reduction of environmental contamination due to the uncontrolled disposal of waste materials produced by industrial and domestic consumption;
Significantly saving money and energy.

This Special Issue seeks original research presented as review articles which display the past and current development of geotechnical and pavement construction. In addition, this Special Issue is interested in investigating the feasibility and challenges of using waste materials in geotechnical and pavement design. This is an invitation to all geotechnical and pavement engineers, materials researchers, and road design contractors and users to contribute experience and the results of research and consultancy projects.

Dr. Nuha Mashaan
Dr. Nur Izzi Md Yusoff
Prof. Dr. Saad Issa Sarsam
Guest Editors

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Keywords

pavement engineering
recycling
waste materials
sustainability
geotechnical design.

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 30477 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Properties of Hydrated Lime-Modified Asphalt Concrete and Modelling Evaluation for Their Effect on the Constructed Pavements in Service

by Azedin Al Ashaibi, Yu Wang, Amjad Albayati, Juliana Byzyka, Miklas Scholz and Laurence Weekes

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7827; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137827 - 27 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1785

Abstract

Flexible pavements are subjected to three main distress types: fatigue crack, thermal crack, and permanent deformation. Under severe climate conditions, thermal cracking particularly contributes largely to a considerable scale of premature deterioration of pavement infrastructure worldwide. This challenge is especially relevant for Europe, as weather conditions vary significantly throughout the year. Hydrated lime (HL) has been recognized as an effective additive to improve the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete for pavement applications. Previous research has found that a replacement of conventional limestone dust filler using hydrated lime at 2.5% of the total weight of aggregates generated an optimum improvement in the mechanical properties of the asphalt concrete mixes used for all three purposed layers (i.e., wearing, levelling, and base) at atmospheric temperatures from mild to relatively high. This paper reports on a continuous experimental test for the thermal properties of the optimized hydrated lime-modified mixes. The experiment together with that conducted before provides the required data to characterize the thermomechanical constitutive relations of the optimized hydrated lime-modified mixes. The obtained thermal and mechanical properties thereafter were implemented in a numerical modelling study for a scenario involving pavement exposed to coupled thermal and traffic service conditions. The study has demonstrated that using HL in mineral filler enhances the thermal properties of asphalt concrete, which, however, showed little influence on the local temperature profiles within the pavement structure. The thermal effect is pronounced under the coupled thermomechanical conditions for a pavement exposed to both traffic and climatic impacts. The HL pavement has about 1.5% less deformation, and 39% less stress level under traffic loading only, but the thermal effect increases the maximum total internal tensile stress level by 26% in the HL pavement in winter season. The modelling analysis has shown that the local maximum tensile stress dominates in the surface region of the HL pavement. It will help to reduce the workload of crack repairing and in long term help on saving costs and efforts of maintenance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction)

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19 pages, 5717 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Behavior of Low-Density Polyethylene Waste Modified Hot Mix Asphalt

by Jessica Adaluz Rincón-Estepa, Esthefanny Victoria González-Salcedo, Hugo Alexander Rondón-Quintana, Fredy Alberto Reyes-Lizcano and Juan Gabriel Bastidas-Martínez

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4229; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074229 - 2 Apr 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2218

Abstract

The use of polymeric waste in the modification of asphalt binders for the construction of road pavements is a technique studied several years ago. However, the use of these materials involves high temperatures close to 190 °C, which generate large environmental impacts due to their emissions. In this study, an asphalt cement (AC) with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) residue contents of 5%, 7%, and 10% with respect to the mass of the AC was modified by the wet method. The modification was carried out using a temperature of 150 °C with the aim of preventing the oxidation of the AC and reducing the emissions generated at high temperatures. Based on the physical-rheological properties of the modified asphalt binder, it was found that 5% LDPE produces the best performance. Subsequently, a hot-mix asphalt type HMA-19 control without a modified asphalt binder and another with a modified asphalt binder were manufactured in order to evaluate the mechanical behavior by means of the Marshall test, an indirect tensile strength (ITS) test, resilient modulus (RM) testing, resistance to fatigue testing, permanent deformation testing, and the Cantabro test. Additionally, the asphalt mixtures were tested under the conditions of short-term aging (STOA, Short-Term Oven Aging), long-term aging (STOA + LTOA, Long-Term Oven Aging), and partial saturation with water (STOA + LTOA + water). Based on the results, an ANOVA analysis of variance was performed to assess whether the changes in the mechanical response of the modified mixture are statistically significant with respect to the control mixture. As a general conclusion, it is reported that mixtures with LDPE can be used for thick layers in high-temperature climates in order to control rutting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction)

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15 pages, 5725 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study of the Usability of Recycling Marble Waste as Aggregate for Road Construction

by Omrane Benjeddou and Nuha Mashaan

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3195; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063195 - 9 Mar 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3745

Abstract

The road construction industry consume a considerable amount of natural aggregates in the world. As a consequence, the increase in the natural aggregates demand increases the construction cost. On the other hand, marble spoil waste, generated from marble cutting and polishing process, is an environmental nuisance in the world. Indeed, an economical solution to this problem is the reuse of these wastes as an aggregates for road construction. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the usability of aggregate, obtained by crushing marble waste, as a conventional aggregate for road construction using an experimental investigation. To achieve this objective, these experimental tests were carried out on fine and coarse marble aggregate samples: sieve analysis, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, calcium carbonate content, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-Ray- diffraction (XRD), densities, water absorption, equivalent of sand, Los Angeles, Micro Deval, flakiness index, and shape index. Finally, experimental test results show that the chemical composition and the physical and mechanical properties of marble aggregate recommend it to be used as a conventional aggregate for road construction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction)

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25 pages, 5064 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physical, Chemical and Thermal Properties of Palm Oil Boiler Ash/Rediset-Modified Asphalt Binder

by Sri Atmaja P. Rosyidi, Bayu Idiajir, Norliza Mohd Akhir, Suzielah Rahmad, Nor Puji Lestari, Vemi Widoanindyawati, Abdulnaser M. Al-Sabaeei, Abdalrhman Milad, Nuha S. Mashaan and Nur Izzi Md Yusoff

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 3016; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053016 - 4 Mar 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2835

Abstract

The growth of the palm oil industry has resulted in an increase in the production of solid waste, created from the extraction of fresh fruit bunches, which can take the form of palm oil boiler ash (POBA). POBA can be used to modify asphalt binder and asphalt mixtures to reduce the harmful effect of this waste on the environment. The objective of each modification is to increase the strength, stiffness, durability, workability and constructability of asphalt mixtures while reducing the environmental effects. This study examines the physical and chemical properties of 60/70 penetration-grade asphalt binder, modified using POBA and warm mix asphalt (WMA) additive. Ranges of modified binder were prepared by adding 2% of the warm additive Rediset with different POBA contents (3%, 5%, 7% and 9%) throughout the wet mixing process. Physical properties of modified binder were obtained from penetration, softening point, ductility and rotational viscosity tests. Molecular components and structures of the modified binder were identified using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to determine the thermal properties of modified asphalt binder. The addition of 7% POBA in WMA binder showed the best characteristics in the tested consistency of its physical properties. As a modifier, POBA showed no chemical interaction with the molecules and structures of the asphalt binder and did not significantly change the physicochemical transitions. From the results, it can be concluded that using POBA in WMA binder for pavement construction is a viable option. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction)

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19 pages, 4019 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Evaluation of Conventional and Sustainable Modifiers to Improve the Stiffness Behavior of Weak Sub-Grade Soil

by Syed Taseer Abbas Jaffar, Malik Muneeb Abid, Sikander Zaman Khan, Turab Jafri, Zia Ur Rehman, Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman Tariq and Anne W. M. Ng

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2493; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052493 - 22 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1880

Abstract

The paper focuses on the improvement of the clayey soil (A-6) with the locally available and cheap modifiers, in terms of stiffness behavior of the weak subgrade soil for flexible pavement. The modifiers used include lime (hydrated), marble waste and sand. The soil specimens underwent triaxial testing and Clegg impact testing. Triaxial testing involved the assessment of the resilient modulus (M_R) and impact testing using the Clegg Impact Hammer. According to the study, lime proved to be the most influencing modifier as it improves the stiffness of the weak soil better than other modifiers. A quite accurate statistical relationship between the M_R and the variables (including Clegg Impact) involved in the testing procedure has been established Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction)

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17 pages, 3836 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Iron Filing Waste on the Performance of Warm Mix Asphalt

by Yu Wang, Roaa H. Latief, Hasan Al-Mosawe, Hussein K. Mohammad, Amjad Albayati and Jonathan Haynes

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13828; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413828 - 14 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2367

Abstract

Recently, interest in the use of projectiles in research on recycling waste materials for construction applications has grown. Using recycled materials for the construction of asphalt concrete pavement, in the meantime, has become a topic of research due to its significant benefits, such as cost savings and reduced environmental impacts. This study reports on comprehensive experimental research conducted using a typical mechanical milling waste, iron filing waste (IFW), as an alternative fine aggregate for warm mix asphalt (WMA) for pavement wearing surface applications. A type of IFW from a local machine workshop was used to replace the conventional fine aggregate, fine natural sand (FNS), at percentages of 25%, 50% 75%, and 100% by the weight of FNS of the size passing sieve No. 50. Experimental tests were conducted on the mixes to compare their Marshall properties, resilient moduli, rutting and fatigue resistance, and moisture susceptibility. Finally, a performance analysis was carried out using the VESYS 5W software on the constructed pavement using the IFW mixes. Both the experiment and the modeling work demonstrated that IFW can be an effective alternative resource for replacing natural fine aggregate in WMA concrete and provided details on the optimum rate based on the comprehensive data obtained first hand. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction)

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20 pages, 7248 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing Environmentally Sustainable and Cost-Effective Geopolymer Concrete with Improved Characteristics

by Alexey N. Beskopylny, Sergey A. Stel’makh, Evgenii M. Shcherban’, Levon R. Mailyan, Besarion Meskhi, Diana El’shaeva and Valery Varavka

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13607; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413607 - 9 Dec 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4048

Abstract

Improving the efficiency and quality of construction mainly depends on the cost of building materials, which is about 55–65% of total capital-construction costs. The study aimed to obtain geopolymer fine-grained concrete with improved quality characteristics that meet the construction field’s sustainable development criteria and that have environmental friendliness, economic efficiency, and advantages over competing analogues. The dependences of strength characteristics on various compositions of geopolymer concrete were obtained. It was found that the most effective activator is a composition of NaOH and Na₂SiO₃ with a ratio of 1:2. The increase in the indicators of the obtained geopolymer concrete from the developed composition (4A) in relation to the base control (1X) was 17% in terms of compressive strength and 24% in tensile strength in bending. Polynomial equations were obtained showing the dependence of the change in the strength characteristics of geopolymer concrete on the individual influence of each of the activators. A significant effect of the composition of the alkaline activator on the strength characteristics of geopolymer fine-grained concrete was noted. The optimal temperature range of heat treatment of geopolymer concrete samples, contributing to the positive kinetics of compressive strength gain at the age of 28 days, was determined. The main technological and recipe parameters for obtaining geopolymers with the desired properties, which meet the ecology requirements and are efficient from the point of view of economics, were determined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction)

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15 pages, 3337 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Low- and Intermediate-Temperature Performance of Bio Oil-Modified Asphalt Binders

by Sara A. Alattieh, Ghazi G. Al-Khateeb and Waleed Zeiada

Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 4039; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13074039 - 5 Apr 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2428

Abstract

Fatigue cracking and low-temperature cracking are two major distresses that occur in asphalt pavements. Fatigue cracking is a load-associated distress caused by the tensile stresses at the bottom/top of the asphalt concrete (AC) layer due to repeated traffic loading. On the other hand, low-temperature cracking occurs when tensile stresses built up with in the AC layer at low temperatures exceed the tensile strength of that layer. In this study, the performance of date seeds oil bio-modified asphalt binders (DSO-BMB) is evaluated against fatigue and low-temperature cracking. The DSO-BMBs are prepared using volume ratios of 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5% date seeds oil-to-asphalt binder. The base asphalt binder used in the study is a 60/70-penetration grade with a Superpave performance grade (PG) of PG 64–16. The dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) standard test was used to assess the fatigue performance of the bio-modified binders (BMBs), while the bending beam rheometer (BBR) test was used to test the BMBs for low-temperature performance. In addition, the DSR linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test was used to evaluate the fatigue tolerance behavior of the DSO-BMBs. The analysis and results of the study showed that the bio-oil enhanced the low-temperature performance. The low PG grade improved from −16 °C for the control asphalt binder to −28 °C for the BMB. Additionally, the fatigue resistance of the BMBs was improved as illustrated by the damage–characteristic curves of the modified asphalt binders from the visco-elastic continuum damage (VECD) analysis and the increase in the number of cycles to fatigue failure (N_f). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction)

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Review

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21 pages, 5966 KiB

Open AccessReview

Utilisation of Waste-Based Geopolymer in Asphalt Pavement Modification and Construction—A Review

by Abdalrhman Milad, Ahmed Suliman B. Ali, Ali Mohammed Babalghaith, Zubair Ahmed Memon, Nuha S. Mashaan, Salaheddin Arafa and Nur Izzi Md. Yusoff

Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3330; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063330 - 17 Mar 2021

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 4604

Abstract

The use of geopolymer in pavement constructions is strongly encouraged. Many studies have demonstrated the vast potential of using industrial-by-products-based geopolymers. This paper discusses the modification of asphalt binders with geopolymers, namely geopolymer-modified asphalt (GMA) and geopolymer-modified asphalt mixture (GMAM). In addition, curing geopolymer materials, engineering properties, production techniques, and prospective utilisation in the pavement construction, such as durability and sustainability, are also discussed. The literature review showed that many industrial by-products, including red mud, blast furnace slag, fly ash, and mine waste, are used to produce geopolymers because of the metal components such as silicon and aluminium in these materials. The geopolymers from these materials influence the rheological and physical properties of asphalt binders. Geopolymers can enhance asphalt mixture performance, such as stability, fatigue, rutting, and low-temperature cracking. The use of geopolymers in asphalt pavement has beneficial impacts on sustainability and economic and environmental benefits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Waste Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Engineering for Sustainable Construction)

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