Title:Upcycling of Waste Plastic into Functionalized Additives for Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Mixtures: An Exploratory Study
Speaker: Dr. Zhen Leng (civil and environmental engineering department at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
Time:Thursday, May 17, 2018, 15:00- 16:30
Venue: Lecture Hall 410 , Traffic building, Wushan Campus
Welcome all the teachers and students to attend this lecture!
Abstract:
The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in road pavement construction has been widely encouraged due to its environmental and economic benefits. However, the percentage of RAP is usually capped at low percentages as studies have shown that a high percentage of RAP might be detrimental to the overall pavement performance. Recent research has shown that the addition of waste plastic materials such as Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) or their functionalized additives into asphalt pavement may potentially improve the durability of pavement. This seminar presents an exploratory study aiming to investigate the feasibility of using the functionalized additives, derived from waste PET through an aminolysis process, to improve the performance of bituminous mixtures containing RAP. To achieve this objective, binder samples composed of virgin bitumen, aged bitumen at various percentages, and PET derived additives, were prepared. These samples were then characterized through various rheological and chemical tests, including dynamic shear rheometer, bending beam rheometer, moisture susceptibility, infrared red spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy tests. The results indicated that the PET functionalized additive enhanced the overall performance of RAP binder samples by providing the functions of both anti-stripping and rejuvenation.