Enhancing Sustainability and Durability in Asphalt Pavements: Evaluating the Impact of Low-Carbon Sulfur Polymer Modifiers and Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement

Details

• Creators:
  Doroudgar, Mohammad ; Saadeh, Shadi ; Fini, Elham H.
• Corporate Creators:
  San Jose State University. College of Business. Mineta Transportation Institute ; California State University, Long Beach
• Corporate Contributors:
  State of California SB1 2017/2018, Trustees of the California State University Sponsored Programs Administration ; United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program ; United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Additives Asphalt Mixtures Carbon Durability Evaluation Greenhouse Gases Hot Mix Asphalt Infrastructure Polymer Asphalt Reclaimed Asphalt Pavements Sulfur Sustainable Development Transportation System Management

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  26-09
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.31979/mti.2026.2522
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  San Jose State University. College of Business. Mineta Transportation Institute
• Abstract:
  The asphalt industry faces major challenges, including the need for pavements that last longer and are more sustainable, as traditional asphalt production is costly and has a high environmental impact. To address this, researchers have been exploring modified asphalt binders such as rubber, charcoal, and waste cooking oil, which have shown promise in extending the lifespan, resistance to deformation, and durability of asphalt pavements. In addition, governments and industries are investing in the use of recycled and “green” materials to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental degradation of conventional asphalt mixtures. Building on this momentum, this study investigates the performance of a low-carbon modifier consisting of a composite of sulfur, biochar, and waste cooking oil in the conventional hot mix asphalt mixture with 25% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). The modifier was introduced at 10% and 20% by the total weight of the asphalt binder, representing an asphalt mixture with 11.5% and 22.4% reduction in carbon footprint compared to typical asphalt binder, following Park et al. (2024). To understand how these lower-carbon mixtures perform in the real world, researchers used two standard tests: the Indirect Tensile Asphalt Cracking Test (IDEAL-CT) and Hamburg Wheel Tracking Test (HWT), which examined the fracture (cracking) and rutting resistance of the resulting mixtures, respectively. Extended thermal aging and UV aging were applied to study the effect of long-term aging on each scenario. Two types of aging are used, long-term aging following NCHRP (Report 973) and UV aging following Rajib and Fini (2020). The study results showed that introducing the low-carbon modifier led to less reduction in resistance to aging as measured by fracture resistance and rutting durability compared to the control scenario. This means that they maintained stronger resistance to cracking and rutting even after aging while also reducing the carbon footprint of the mixture by up to 22.4%. This research demonstrates that meaningful reductions in the carbon footprint of asphalt pavements can be achieved without compromising long-term structural performance or durability, supporting more sustainable and resilient transportation infrastructure.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  SB1-SJAUX_2023-26
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f0f86e95e5aa188c70b077fc11e0a6732cb5be430eab4b4cf375ea84e2babd18d9d3a66e8c8dbba5bef20d7a0cb340e56853c87d721d8c3095f2defbc32a5993
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/92016/dot_92016_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 8.12 MB ]