Improving the Compatibility of Waste Plastic and Asphalt Binder via Theoretically Justified Identification of Compatible Blends
Project Information
Project ID:
FHWA-PROJ-20-0059
Project Abstract:
The research will:
1) give insight into the fundamental mechanism by which common waste polymers such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) mix/de-mix when blended with asphalt binder with various modifications,
2) optimize said blends, and
3) use that knowledge to develop tests to optimize the modification process before mixing untested binders and waste plastics of specified types.
The research will use atomistic and coarse-grained simulation to study the interactions between asphalt binder and waste plastics in order to gain insight into the causes for mixing/de-mixing. Experiments will complement these simulations for validation and to create and optimize at least one compatibilized blend for larger scale application and study. It then will correlate waste plastic and asphalt binder properties with quality of mixing to create tests which can detail how to modify the compatibilization approach for different waste plastic and asphalt binder quality.
Project Status:
Active
Project Funding Amount (Contract Award Amount):
$461,641.00
Start Date:
End Date:
Public Access Plan:
Yes
FHWA Program Area:
- Exploratory Advanced Research
Fiscal Year / AMRP Program / AMRP Activity:
- FY 2002-2022 / Infrastructure / Pavements and Materials
AMRP = Annual Modal Research Plan
Contact Information
Team:
Infrastructure Materials Team
Office:
Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
Office Code:
HRDI-10