Assessing the impact of various industrial wastes on the volumetric and mechanical properties of warm mix asphalt (WMA)

Abstract

In recent decades, sustainable practices in pavement construction have been studied to promote circular economy principles and protect the environment. This research seeks to determine the potential benefits of using three different industrial waste materials in formulating warm mix asphalt (WMA). WMA mixes were prepared using ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) from steel production and biomass fly ash (FA) from the paper industry as virgin filler replacement, and an industrial waste rich in lignin biopolymer (LB) from the hardboard industry as a partial substitute for binder. The study analyzed their volumetric and mechanical properties, including moisture damage resistance, resilient modulus, fatigue resistance, permanent deformation, and abrasion resistance, which were compared with those of a control WMA mix (without any waste). The findings provide insights into an important gap in the literature on the use of GGBFS and LB in WMA. GGBFS-2 mix (75 % GGBFS) exhibited the best fatigue performance but the highest axial deformation and rut depth. LB-1 mix (5 % LB) performed slightly worse than the control WMA mix in all tests.

Keywords

• Industrial wastes
• Ground granulated blast furnace slag
• Fly ash
• Waste rich in lignin biopolymer
• Warm mix asphalt
• Moisture damage resistance