Application of Recycled Waste Materials for Highway Construction: Prospect and Challenges

Industrialization and continuous increase in population growth have contributed immensely to various kinds of solid waste generation which most times are indiscriminately dumped. These activities have negative effects resulting in environmental pollution which could be a menace to the environment. Moreover, to preserve the environment, many researchers have made efforts to ensure that some of these wastes are recycled and utilized in the production of various alternative materials as a means of sustainable technology. Among several alternative materials for construction, some of these wastes are considered to be very useful. This study examines the various recycled waste materials that can be adopted for construction, including their prospects and challenges. Some of the recycled waste materials examined are plastic waste, mill tailings, geopolymers, waste glass, rubber tyre waste, shingles, construction and demolition wastes (C&D) and slag. These recycled materials have been accepted globally due to their characteristic properties which made the materials suitable in the construction industry. This review also examines some limitations relating to the adoption of these materials as alternative construction materials for highway/pavement construction. However, it is generally accepted that reuse of waste materials in construction industry has minimal environmental impact and their exploration would have huge economic impact

Sustainability Indicators Concerning Waste Management for Implementation of the Circular Economy Model on the University of Lome (Togo) Campus

The circular economy aims to reduce the volume of waste generated in the world, transforming it into resources. The concept of indicator of circular economy was introduced to evaluate the improvement obtained regarding e ciency in terms of reduction, reuse and recycling of waste generated on the campus of the University of Lome (Togo). These indicators showed that 59.5% of the waste generated on the campus in 2018 could be introduced into the circular economy paradigm through composting, and 27.0% of the energy consumed could be replaced by clean energy obtained from biogas. The entire plastic fraction can be introduced into the circular economy paradigm by reusing plastic bottles and selling the rest in the port of the city. Thus, the income obtained could range from €15.5/day in 2018 to €34.5/day in 2027. Concerning old tires, 1.5% of the rubber needed to pave the entire roadway of the campus could be replaced by the waste generated by the tires currently existing there. Consequently, waste management on the campus could be controlled thanks to these indicators, and this could serve as a model for the rest of the country.Research Project ECO2017-84138-P MINECO, AGENCIA ESTATAL DE INVESTIGACIÓN and FEDER (EU)

Recycled Materials in Kentucky Highway Construction

The objectives of this study were to identify and list waste materials which should be recycled to reduce solid waste disposal; report current and past efforts of the Kentucky Department of Highways to utilize recycled and waste materials; determine through a thorough literature search and review, the efforts of other local, state, national and international transportation agencies to utilize recycled materials; and, present preliminary recommendations listing areas where additional recycling efforts appear promising, feasible and needed. Waste materials that were identified which could be recycled to reduce solid waste disposal included demolition waste (building rubble, recycled concrete pavement, recycled asphalt pavement), rubber tires, plastics, glass, and paper. It has been found that these materials contain recoverable fractions that are potentially useful in highway related applications. Examples of their use in highway construction and maintenance activities have been accented and discussed. Additionally, other reclaimed by-product materials have been identified that are effective in highway applications. Those include fly ash, bottom ash, scrubber sludge, AFBC residues, cement and lime kiln dust, and slag aggregates. A significant reduction in the extensive amount of land area required for waste disposal would be achieved through recycling only a portion of these materials. The Kentucky Department of Highways has actively promoted research into the utilization of by-product materials in highway construction. The Department utilizes significant amounts of by-product materials as a result of the strong commitment to fund research in this area. However, recyclable materials such as rubber tires, plastics wastes, building rubble, waste glass, and waste paper have not been widely used. Research is recommended relative to the use of recycled rubber in asphaltic concrete mixtures to determine whether any threat to human health or the environment exists, whether asphaltic concrete pavements containing rubber can be recycled, and whether those pavement types provide acceptable levels of performance. High volume uses of discarded tires should be investigated in other highway construction and maintenance applications such as light-weight embankments, retaining walls, and safety hardware. Recycled portland cement concrete as aggregate in paving applications appears feasible. The use of recycled plastic fibers in asphaltic and portland cement concrete mixtures should be evaluated. Innovative uses of recycled paper in highway applications should be studied. The Kentucky Department of Highways should increase high volume uses of fossil-fuel by-product materials that have been proven effective. High volume use of reclaimed asphaltic concrete materials should continue. In order for the use of recycled and by-product materials to be feasible, a longer life, greatly improved performance, and reduced disposal costs must offset the higher initial costs related to their use

By-Product and Discarded Material Utilization in Highway Construction and Maintenance -- A Literature Review

This report summarizes the findings of an extensive literature search and review conducted to determine current attitudes relative to the use of recyclable and recoverable materials in highway construction and maintenance activities. Specifically, the literature search focused upon the engineering, economic, and performance aspects of using recyclable and recoverable materials in highway construction and maintenance projects. The literature review focused on asphalt and cement concrete pavement recycling, discarded tire recycling, reuse of paint removal wastes, fly ash, glass, alternative fuels, and other miscellaneous recycled and recovered materials as related to construction and maintenance of highways. Additionally, regulatory and policy matters associated with the use of recyclable and recoverable materials in the transportation area were investigated during the review of literature

Asphalt and Asphalt Mixtures

In recent years, with the rapid development of the world transportation industry, the proportion of asphalt pavement in road engineering is increasing. Therefore, while the demand for asphalt and asphalt mixture is increasing, the quality requirements for materials are also improving. In particular, new materials and new technologies are constantly emerging, and the application technology, theory, and technical specifications of asphalt materials have made great progress

The Use of Recycled Materials to Promote Pavement Sustainability Performance

This Special Issue focuses on recycled materials to promote pavement sustainability. It covers the use of construction and demolition waste (reclaimed asphalt pavement, recycled concrete aggregate and glass) and industrial waste (plastic and slag). The application of recycled materials concerns bituminous mixtures, concrete mixtures, and non-traditional interlocking blocks or cobbles

Construction And Demolition Debris Recovery And Recycling In Orange County, Fl

In 2008, the State of Florida established a recycling goal of 75% to be achieved by 2020. In response to the Florida goal Orange County (OC), Florida has made the development and implementation of an efficient strategy for landfill diversion of its solid waste a top priority. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) estimated that 23 % of municipal solid waste was generated by construction and demolition (C&D) activities in 2009, with only 30 percent of C&D debris being recycled. Therefore, OC decided to create a solid waste integrated resource plan (SWIRP) initially focused on the recovery and recycling of C&D materials (2010). For SWIRP development, OC decision makers need the best available data regarding C&D debris generation and composition and an understanding of the potential markets available for recycled materials. In this investigation debris generation was estimated over the period of 2001 to 2009 for the largest single governing body within OC, unincorporated OC (UOC), representing 65 percent of county population. The debris generation model was constructed for years 2001-2010 using area values for C&D activities in six sectors obtained from building permits and debris generation multipliers obtained from literature values. The benefit of the model is that as building permit information is received, debris generation estimations can also be expediently updated. Material composition fractions obtained from waste characterization studies of landfills in the Central Florida area were applied to the debris generation model resulting in a material iv composition for all sectors for years 2001-2010. The material composition of the debris stream was found to be, on average, concrete (53%) drywall (20%), wood (12%), a miscellaneous fraction (8%), asphalt roofing material (4%), metal (2%), cardboard (1%) and carpet and padding (1%). A market analysis was performed for concrete, drywall, wood, asphalt roofing shingles and residual screened materials (RSM). It was found that statewide, markets existed for 100 percent of the materials studied and could replace significant amounts of natural material feedstocks, but that the development of more local markets was vital to meeting OC’s diversion goal to minimize the cost of transporting recyclables

Environment-Friendly Construction Materials

Construction materials are the most widely used materials for civil infrastructure in our daily lives. However, from an environmental point of view, they consume a huge amount of natural resources and generate the majority of greenhouse gasses. Therefore, many new and novel technologies for designing environmentally friendly construction materials have been developed recently. This Special Issue, “Environment-Friendly Construction Materials”, has been proposed and organized as a means to present recent developments in the field of construction materials. It covers a wide range of selected topics on construction materials