Sustainable utilization of recycled asphalt as aggregates in engineered cementitious composites

This paper presents the outcomes of a study which is part of a large and long-term research program being undertaken at the University of Windsor to investigate the viability of using recycled materials as aggregates in engineered cementitious composites (ECC). Recycled asphalt which is obtained from recycling damaged pavements can be a viable alternative to replace conventional aggregates which is silica sand. In this study, recycled asphalt was used as partial to total replacement of the conventional silica sand which is currently used in ECC mixtures. A total of five different ECC mixtures were made with recycled asphalt as a replacement for the silica sand. The mechanical and durability properties of the mixtures were evaluated in order to determine the effect of recycled asphalt content on the mechanical and durability performances of ECC mixtures. This study found that the incorporation of recycled asphalt may somewhat compromise the performance of the traditional ECC. The compressive strength of ECC made with 100% recycled asphalt is 20.6% lower than the control with only silica sand while the chloride penetration increased by 11.4%. However, the use of recycled asphalt as an aggregate can offset the loss in the performance of the ECC by providing considerable benefits in terms of embodied carbon and cost reduction. Nonetheless, all the ECC mixtures developed in this study are found to be suitable for structural applications. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigates the feasibility of using recycled asphalt as aggregates in ECC, finding that it may compromise the performance of traditional ECC but offset the loss through benefits in carbon footprint and cost reduction. Despite the compromised performance, all ECC mixtures developed in the study are found suitable for structural applications.