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Podium Presentation at the Conference, with Full Paper in Conference Proceedings

Innovative Sustainable Methods, Materials, and Recycling

Session: Sustainable Asphalt Pavement

1369135 - Stability of Repurposed Plastics in Asphalt Binder

Friday, June 16, 2023
2:00 PM - 2:15 PM CST
Room: 602
TRACK: K
The total production plastics by the year 2017 was 8.3 billion metric tons (BMT), and only 9% of the plastic waste gets recycled and 80% is ended up in landfills. One potential use of non-recycled waste plastics is as an asphalt binder modifier. Utilizing waste plastics in asphalt binder has the potential to enhance their elastic recovery and improve flexible pavement durability. In addition to being a potential alternative to the more expensive styrene butadiene styrene (SBS), which is widely used in asphalt binder, plastic-modified binder presents an opportunity to reduce global warming. However, waste plastic and asphalt binder compatibility remain a concern leading to phase separation with detrimental effects on the service life of the flexible pavements.
Five types of waste plastic streams and a PG 64-22 asphalt binder were investigated for their compatibility. The waste plastics included waste plastic pails made of High-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE) food packaging waste, polypropylene (PP) from various waste sources, such as plastic cups, medicine bottles, black and whiteboards, polystyrene (PS) from food packaging, and plastic number 7 from different sources including polycarbonate, compact disc cases, and polycarbonate fibers. The plastics were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis was performed to optimize blending methods. Storage stability of waste plastic modified binders was evaluated using the Cigar Tube Test (CTS). Results showed that low dosages of HDPE, LDPE, and PS, when properly blended, could pass a storage stability check.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees can expect to learn the following from this session:
  • Develop compatibility and blending methodology of various plastic waste plastic for bitumen modification.
  • Investigate the suitability of plastic types and mixed plastics for modifying bitumen.
  • Determine the storage stability of plastic waste-modified bitumen.