Performance evaluation of WMA with Glass and Plastic as a replacement of Aggregate

Abstract

In the daily lives of social beings, transportation infrastructure is crucial. Because it necessitates large quantities of construction materials, any small reduction in material percentages and replacement with alternate material has a greater impact. Many countries have begun research in this area, with the goal of replacing aggregate with glass and plastic in small percentages. Plastic is inculcated in bitumen for road construction in India (Jamshedpur), which is noteworthy. Similar incidents have been reported in Indonesia (Bali, Bekasi, Makassar, Solo, and Tangerang), indicating that the plastic-asphalt mixture is more prevalent there. Furthermore, Pakistan is also starting to realize the potential of using waste material as a replacement of aggregate. Recently, two roads were constructed in Islamabad which utilized plastic as a replacement of aggregate. One of the roads is in Ataturk Avenue and the other in F9 park. The use of plastic not only saves resources, but it also reduces the massive amount of ocean pollution that Pakistan currently faces. The same is true for glass, which takes up a lot of space in landfills and causes soil contamination as well as polluting the environment for decades. The largest project in this regard was in New York, where 225,000 metric tonnes of glass was used in the surface course [1]. Their primary application is to combat the growing amount of plastic and glass waste that is polluting the environment and the ocean. Plastic and glass are produced at a much faster rate than they are used or curtailed to save the environment, so their use in roads is a viable option for reducing their massive amounts. Furthermore, a research concluded that usage of plastic and glass reduces the overall OBC hence decreasing the cost. So, the usage of plastic and glass in road construction is a viable option to lessen the environmental hazards as well as being an economical method for road construction. Another aspect of this research study is to use a more sustainable, cost and environmental friendly asphalt technology which also improves the overall performance of the asphalt concrete. This is why Warm Mix Technology was adapted in this research. The WMA technology lowers the mixing and compacting temperature by 30- 40% [2]. Reducing the harmful emission of PAH compounds by 50% and reducing the fuel costs by 30% [3]. Thereby improving the environmental conditions and providing an ix effective way to cut off the cost. • NHA gradation B for aggregate and Parco 60/70 asphalt was used. • Sasobit acquired from Sasol Wax based in South Africa. • Aggregate of PatharGarh was used. • Plastic and glass were acquired from Multan, Lime which is an anti-stripping agent was bought from I9 Market Islamabad. • Quality tests were performed on aggregate and virgin asphalt. • Plastic and Glass percentages of 0.5%, 1.0% and 2%, 4% respectively were used. • Performance testing was done after finding out the OBC, volumetric, stability and flow of Plastic and Glass containing mixtures, and controlled samples. Using those OBCs, different samples were tested against rutting and moisture susceptibility for evaluation and compared with the performance testing results of mixtures made with HMA. • It was noted that by using WMA technology the TSR improved by 8-10% and the rut depth decreased by 22-35%. • Estimation was also done for cost and the overall cost reduced by 10% which can be further reduced if sasobit is manufactured locally.