Enhancing Emulsified Asphalt Mastic Performance with Coal Gangue Powder
Researchers are investigating coal gangue powder's potential to improve the performance of emulsified asphalt mastic, addressing environmental concerns posed by traditional fillers.
Emulsified asphalt pavement technologies are being increasingly touted for their environmental benefits, particularly as countries strive to maintain sustainable infrastructure amid natural resource depletion. A recent study by researchers investigates the use of coal gangue powder (CGP), derived from coal mining, as an innovative filler to augment the performance of emulsified asphalt mastic (EAM)—a composite material widely used for road paving.
Emulsified asphalt is known for its application, particularly for cold recycling of asphalt pavements, offering energy efficiency and environmental protection. Yet, it often suffers from issues like early fatigue cracking and rutting. Traditional fillers like limestone powder, commonly employed to improve asphalt mixtures, come with their own environmental costs due to resource extraction impacts and the generation of new hazards during mining processes.
The research, which builds on earlier findings identifying the high-temperature benefits of CGP, demonstrates considerable improvements in the performance of EAM through the inclusion of this unconventional filler. By employing advanced rheological tests—including Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR), Linear Amplitude Scanning (LAS), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)—the study offered comprehensive insights on how varying filler contents optimize the material.
According to the study’s findings, the optimal filler content significantly enhances the high-temperature stability and durability of EAM. Specifically, the test results showed, “the high temperature performance of EAM containing PC and CGP exhibit superior high-temperature performance compared to LP fillers.” This improvement could lead to longer-lasting pavements, less frequent repairs, and significant economic savings over time.
The study also noted, “an appropriate amount of incorporation can improve the high temperature stability of the mortar and does not have a huge impact on the fatigue performance,” which indicates CGP's potential as not just another filler, but rather as part of a sustainable endeavor to replace traditional materials with those derived from waste.
A surprising result of the research highlighted the stress sensitivity of EAM. Increasing the filler content and undergoing controlled aging significantly improved the setup's deformation resistance, marking CGP as beneficial against the typical wear experienced under heavy traffic loads.
“Coal gangue can be used as a new type of green filler to replace limestone powder,” the researchers asserted, reinforcing the material's viability for broader applications not only within roadway construction but possibly extending to various asphalt mixture formulations.
This study sets forth not only the immediate performance benefits of using CGP but also prompts future studies focusing on the impacts of CGP on low-temperature performance and its application within highway project frameworks.
With increased emphasis on sustainable development, the incorporation of CGP offers promising advancements toward road engineering practices, potentially transforming how asphalt materials are made and used moving forward.
The research establishes coal gangue as both environmentally conscious and economically viable, spotlighting CGP as a forward-thinking filler solution. Understanding please the merits of CGP can pave the way for rigorous explorations within the road construction industry, aiming not only at performance metrics but also at addressing environmental impacts generated by inherited material choice.
Fellow researchers noted similar observations: “According to the results of the MSCR test, the incorporation of CGP significantly improves the resistance to deformation of the mastic.” Such insights deserve more elaborate exploration to refine the optimal usage of CGP and extend its applications within the pavement engineering domains.