Potential Use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Aggregate and Waste Plastic Bottles for Sustainable Asphalt Pavement Production

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of reclaimed asphalt pavement aggregate (RAPA) and waste plastic bottles (WPBs) for sustainable asphalt pavements production in hot weather conditions. To enhance the adhesion between neat bitumen, RAPA, and WPBs-coated aggregates, a rougher surface texture is created for aggregate particles in the modified asphalt mix. This improvement enhances asphalt mix engineering properties, rutting resistance, and stability. However, bituminous mixtures containing 20% RAPA exhibit tendencies toward strip resistance, this mixture is weak in terms of strength and incapable of supporting loads when utilizing the RAPA. Therefore, due to the moisture susceptibility of the RAPA, it is advised to employ several types of aggregates in future studies to determine the optimal aggregate that can resist stripping and, at the same time, handle heavy loads. Finally, for better asphalt mix performance, it is recommended to use a combination of 70% crushed stone aggregate, 20% RAPA, and 10% WPBs in asphalt mix with a 5.0% optimum modifier content. The experimental results for tensile strength ratio, proportional rut depth, and mean rut depth meet the required specifications of the Ethiopian Road Authority for all properties tested. Therefore, this combination is strongly advised for use in hot mix asphalt production.