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The incorporation of a recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as a replacement of natural aggregates (NA) in road construction has been the subject of recent research. This tendency promotes sustainability, but its use depends mainly on the final product’s properties, such as chemical stability. This study evaluates the physical and chemical properties of RCAs from two different sources in comparison with the performance of NA. One RCA was obtained from the demolition of a building (recycled concrete aggregate of a building—RCAB) and another RCA from the rehabilitation of a Portland cement concrete pavement (recycled concrete aggregate from a pavement—RCAP). Characterization techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectrometry were used to evaluate the RCAs’ coarse fractions for chemical potential effects on asphalt mixtures. NA was replaced with RCA at 15%, 30%, and 45% for each size of the coarse fractions (retained 19.0, 12.5, 9.5, and 4.75 sieves in mm). The mineralogical characterization results indicated the presence of quartz (SiO2) and calcite (CaCO3) as the most significant constituents of the aggregates. XFR showed that RCAs have lower levels of CaO and Al2O3 concerning NA. Potential reactions in asphalt mixtures by nitration, sulfonation, amination of organic compounds, and reactions by alkaline activation in the aggregates were discarded due to the minimum concentration of components such as NO2, (–SO3H), (–SO2Cl), and (Na) in the aggregates. Finally, this research concludes that studied RCAs might be used as replacements of coarse aggregate in asphalt mixtures since chemical properties do not affect the overall chemical stability of the asphalt mixture.

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The use of asphalt emulsions for road fabrication is rapidly gaining in importance mainly due to energy savings, less environmental impact, and better properties of the final product. However, the formulation of these emulsions still requires a better understanding, particularly concerning their breaking phenomena. When a cationic model emulsion is contacted with a solid having a negative-charged surface, physicochemical driving forces result in the emulsion destabilization. As a consequence, a viscosity reduction of the remaining emulsion is observed, as well as the emulsion breakup through a heteroflocculation mechanism provided the solid surface is large enough. Emulsion systems at equilibrium, containing cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), paraffin oil, and Fontainebleau's sandstone powder and having different droplet sizes, are studied. The results show that the dispersed oil fraction decreases after each addition of sandstone aliquots, and this depends on the concentration of CPC in the continuous phase of the emulsion. As the droplet size and distribution remain constant during the process, it is assumed that the emulsion heteroflocculation is the result of direct oil droplets adhesion on the sand surface, followed by their coalescence around the sand particles.

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