Reuse of Zeolite By-Products Derived from Petroleum Refining for Sustainable Roads

• Published in: Advances in materials science and engineering Vol. 2019; no. 2019; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Pérez-Mena, V., Rubio-Gámez, M. C., Moreno-Navarro, F., Sol-Sánchez, M., Cabanillas, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2019; Hindawi; Hindawi Limited; Wiley
• Subjects: Additives; Asphalt mixes; Asphalt pavements; Bearing capacity; Catalytic cracking; Construction; Contaminants; Cost effectiveness; Deformation resistance; Densification; Fatigue life; Humidity; Laboratories; Manufacturing; Mechanical properties; Natural gas; Natural resources; Nitrogen oxides; Petroleum refining; Physical properties; Plastic deformation; Road engineering; Wastes; Water resistance; Workability; Zeolites
• ISSN: 1687-8434; 1687-8442
• DOI: 10.1155/2019/4256989

The reduction in consumption of natural resources (fuel, gas, etc.) and contaminant emissions (CO2, CO, NOx, etc.) during the production of asphalt mixtures has become one of the main challenges in road engineering. Warm mix asphalts (WMAs) have been developed in order to achieve this objective while ensuring the mechanical performance and durability of traditional hot mix asphalts (HMAs). However, these materials are commonly manufactured using additives or products whose production could reduce both their environmental benefits and cost effectiveness. This paper presents a research study that aims to analyse the reuse of zeolite wastes derived from petroleum refining in the production of warm mix asphalts. For this purpose, two different types of zeolite wastes were analysed as additives for the manufacture of two warm mix asphalts, whose mechanical performance was compared with conventional WMA and hot mix asphalt. The results indicate that zeolite wastes with a lower particles size presented higher capacity to absorb water, while its dosage at 0.3% allows for producing warm mix asphalts at temperatures around 145°C, with comparable workability and densification to conventional HMA at 165°C without reducing its bearing capacity, fatigue life, and resistance to water action and plastic deformation.