Exploring Agar as a Sustainable Alternative to Petroleum-Based Binders

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Agar-Based Binders for Use Pavement Applications
• Creators:
  Frey, Melissa R. ; Torres-Machi, Cristina ; Srubar, Wil V.
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Colorado Boulder
• Corporate Contributors:
  Colorado Department of Transportation. Office of Applied Research ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Alternative Binder Asphalt Mixtures Binders Bio-Based Civil Engineering Economic Impacts Fuel Gas Greenhouse Gases Infrastructure Non-Petroleum Sustainable Transportation Transportation Planning

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  CDOT-2024-05
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Report
• Corporate Publisher:
  Colorado Department of Transportation. Applied Research & Innovations Branch
• Abstract:
  Over 90% of paved roads in the United States are surfaced with asphaltic materials comprised of aggregate and a non-renewable petroleum-based asphalt binder. The sourcing of such a vital civil engineering material is both environmentally(i.e., contributing to pollution as well as greenhouse gas and volatile organic compound emissions) and economically problematic (i.e., contributing to volatile material costs and geopolitical tensions). Despite these drawbacks, the overall need for transportation infrastructure is only expected to increase, requiring the construction industry to shift to biobased material alternatives for petroleum-based construction materials. The construction industry has recognized this need and has begun investigating alternative materials for plastics, adhesives, and binders, like asphaltic materials. Notably, research regarding alternative asphalt binders has primarily focused on the use of bio-oils and less research has been aimed at biopolymers. To this end, this project aims to characterize and evaluate agar, a biopolymer extracted from red seaweed, as a direct replacement material for use in transportation infrastructure. This work is motivated by the promising photosynthetic traits of macroalgae (i.e., seaweed) and the synergistic features of high concentration gels and thermoplastic petroleum materials. In this work, high concentration (i.e., 5-10% w/w) agar gels were explored using traditional engineering testing techniques for pavements and standardized durability testing (Chapter 2). With the goal of improving moisture characteristics, the diffusion traits of both physically (i.e., polyurethane coated, inert filler materials) and chemically modified (i.e., maleic anhydride treated) agar-based materials were classified and modeled (Chapter 3). Lastly, agar-based materials were evaluated in composite materials using traditional dense-grade aggregate in order to gage suitability for pavement structures. The results of this project illustrate the need for additional research but highlight the potential for algae-derived materials like agar to be used in civil infrastructure applications.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  R421.02
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:656d3642d0a82e492e303d92833d806f701e59c5c1794a03b01b26ccf7bb02e15e076b170160e59ec436a352334bce7c373914e39c3116e899423389695d272c
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/92815/dot_92815_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 20.00 MB ]