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Utilization of Recycled Materials

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Ambika Behl Siksha Swaroopa Kar

CSIR Central Road Research Institute CSIR Central Road Research Institute
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 Utilization of Recycled Materials

Construction of Sustainable
Pavements Through Recycling
Dr. Ambika Behl, Dr. G. Bharath, Dr. Siksha Kar, Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi

I
ncreased connectivity and improved
road infrastructure developed in the
country in the recent past has resulted
in significant increase in the growth of
traffic in terms of the number of vehicles
and axle loads. However, the increased
construction activities have resulted in
an increased demand of materials and
thereby allowing depletion of naturally
occurring materials like stone aggregates.
This has made the concerned engineers to
explore the alternate methods including re-
use of materials from existing pavements.
Beneficial utilization of recycled materials
can result in an important opportunity to
save the mining and use of virgin materials,
preserve energy, and save landfill space.
The main components of asphalt mixture
are asphalt binder and aggregate, which
have the potential to be replaced by
recycled materials. The largest portion of
pavement in terms of mass and volume
are aggregates. The unit price of the
aggregates is comparatively low with
relatively low environmental impact on
production. Correspondingly, because
aggregate is exercised in large quantities,
is non-renewable, and incapable to mine
near its point of use, it can play a vital role
in pavement sustainability.
Milling of distressed pavements for their
complete or partial use is an accepted norm
now to save fresh aggregates and bitumen.
Recycling or reuse of pavement material
is a very simple but powerful concept.
In a time when highway professionals
determine pavement rehabilitation
techniques based on cost, performance,
and environmental sustainability, in-
situ recycling processes offer the best
alternative to optimize these benefits. With
strict attention paid to pre-engineering,
mix design formulation, construction, and
quality control, pavements constructed
using these techniques offer the ability
to decrease life-cycle costs and the
environmental impact.
The conventional method of providing
bituminous surfacing on flexible pavements
requires significant amount of materials
and energy. Therefore, in order to reduce
consumption of fuel and aggregates,
pavement recycling technology may be
adopted for Indian roads (Reddy et al.,
2013). Also, there is a problem of the
scarcity of aggregates, which forces truck
delivery of materials from long distance.
The use of diesel for running these trucks
contributes to emission of pollutants such
as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides,
carbon dioxides and sulphur dioxides. Many
of the diesel engine emissions have been
identified as carcinogenic, and harmful to
the human health, even at occupational
and environmental levels of exposure.
For a lead of 200 km (which is common
in north India), requires 18 million liters of
diesel in transportation alone (Mallick and
Veeraraghvan, 2010).

2 NBM&CW SEPTEMBER 2019


Based on the process adopted in recycling
the asphalt mix, it can be broadly classified
as central plant recycling and in-situ
recycling. If the RAP (recycled asphalt
pavement) is modified at a plant, away
from construction site then the process is
known as central plant recycling. In-situ
recycling process the RAP modified in
place, where from it is available. Further,
the RAP could be heated to condition it. If
heat is applied, then the process is known
as hot mix recycling. In case of cold mix
recycling, old materials are conditioned
using recycling agent (like, low viscosity
emulsion or foamed bitumen) without
application of heat.
CSIR-Central Road Research Institute
(CSIR-CRRI) has recommended
recycling of pavement in several projects
of maintenance, rehabilitation and up
gradation of roads. This article presents the
case study of rehabilitation and up grading
of two road sections in India, Ranchi Ring
Road using hot in place recycling (HIPR)
and NH-31, using cold in place recycling
(CIPR).
Rehabilitation of Ring
Road in Jharkhand
The project road in question is ring road-
a six lane carriage way in the state of
Jharkhand. The total road length of the
section was app 65 kms. The surface
of the road was heavily distressed; had
Photo 1: Pavement condition before rehabilitation
NBM&CW SEPTEMBER 2019 3
Utilization of Recycled Materials
cracks up to a depth of 40mm throughout
the pavement surface and rutting up to
10mm was observed. Photo 1 shows the
condition of the distressed pavement.
The road was due for its periodic renewal.
CSIR-Central Road Research Institute
(CRRI), New Delhi, carried out the RAP
mix design for 50mm thick bituminous
concrete, using Hot in Place Recycling
(HIPR) for renewal treatment/preventive
maintenance work of existing pavement
of Ranchi ring road. Hot in-place recycling
(HIPR) consists of a method in which the
existing pavement is heated and softened,
and then scarified/milled to a specified
depth. New HMA (with/without RAP) and/
or recycling agent may be added to the
scarified RAP material during the recycling
process. HIR can be performed either as a
single pass or as a multiple pass operation.
In single pass operation, the scarified in-
place material can be combined with new
material if needed or desired. In multiple
pass operation, the restored RAP material
is recompacted first, and a new wearing
surface is applied later.
In this study 80% RAP was used and
single pass operation was adopted, the
existing pavement was heated & scarified
in place and the required quantity, of fresh
aggregate and bitumen (as per the design)
were added to the scarified material.
The mix was laid and compacted. The
advantages of hot in-place recycling are
that surface cracks were eliminated, ruts
and shoves and bumps were corrected,
aged asphalt is rejuvenated, aggregate
gradation and asphalt content were
modified, traffic interruption is minimal, and
hauling costs are minimized.
The mix design for hot recycling of RAP mix
was carried out in CRRI. Blending exercise
was carried out to identify the proportion
in which RAP and different sizes of fresh
aggregates were to be mixed to achieve
the gradation specified by MoRTH for BC-
2. The materials taken for blending were:
RAP Material, 20 mm Aggregates, 10 mm
Aggregates, Dust and Lime. Approximately
200 field cores were taken from site and
evaluated in laboratory. The tasks carried
out in laboratory consisted of sampling
and evaluation of aged mix (RAP mix),
the rejuvenator/recycling agent, and the
proposed virgin aggregate and bitumen,
extraction of bitumen in existing asphalt,
evaluation of extracted mix samples for:-
aggregate gradation & binder content,
blend formulations of combined RAP
and new aggregates to achieve desired
gradation, selection of grade of new
asphalt/rejuvenator (from viscosity blending
charts), estimation of fresh binder required.
Mix designs were carried out as per Asphalt
Institute Manual MS-20 and MS 2 (7th
edition). Ministry of Road Transport (2013)
specifications for BC-2 mixes were followed
in finalising the mix design. From blending
 Utilization of Recycled Materials

Photo 2: HIPR machine in operation

exercise, it has been found that the
proportion of RAP in the mix will be 80 %.
The average bulk density of field cores
was found to be 2.4gm/cc. To determine
the grading of the existing aggregates,
mechanical sieve analysis (conforming
to IS:2386 (part-I)) was performed on the
aggregates recovered from the reclaimed
bituminous pavement. Gradation of
the reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP)
material for BC-2 grading is given in
Table1. Bitumen was extracted from the
core samples using distillation and abson
recovery method as per ASTM D 2172 and
ASTM D 1856 respectively. The average
binder content in the RAP was found to
be 4.5% by weight of RAP. Properties of
the binder extracted from RAP are given
in Table 2.
The reclaimed binder (rap binder) mixed
with different dosages of RA 1(rejuvenating
agent) was tested using the procedures
in AASHTO M 320 to determine the critical
temperatures where the specification
criteria is exactly met. The critical
temperature values obtained were used
to prepare the blending charts. Figure 1
shows the blending chart. VG 10 is used
as a fresh binder in the mix design. RAP
pavement binder ratio (RPBR) is shown in
X-axis. Critical temperatures of RAP binder
with different RA dosages are shown on
right vertical axis. Critical temperature of
fresh binder is shown on left vertical axis.
VG 40 is considered as a target binder.
Rejuvenator was used in the mix design
at the dosage of 5% by weight of RAP
binder, which mobilizes the aged binder
of reclaimed asphalt (RA) pavement used
in bituminous mixes. This improves the

Figure 1: Asphalt blending chart

4 NBM&CW SEPTEMBER 2019


flexibility which enhances crack
resistance, allowing higher amounts
of RAP material in bituminous mixture.
Table 3 shows the job mix formula to
be adopted for RAP mix design using
hot recycling.
Strength property and moisture
resistance of the RAP mix was
evaluated and found satisfactory
before implementing it on field.
During field implementation the
requirements for quality control of HIPR
are similar to those for conventional HMA
(hot mix asphalt). In general, for any
HIPR project there are some important
points to be addressed for the successful
implementation of HIPR work. They are:
heating of the existing HMA pavement,
treatment depth, addition of recycling agent
and admixture, placement and compaction
of recycled mix. It shall be ensured that
any excess moisture (if present) has been
removed. Many older asphalt pavements
have water trapped in the voids. This
excess moisture shall be removed by
heating the pavement to evaporate the
water. Adequate temperature has to be
maintained for compaction of the final
mix. Heating of the pavement surface
should be as uniform as possible in both
the longitudinal and transverse directions.
Monitoring the temperature during the
HIPR process is necessary on a constant
basis, in order to optimize uniformity.
NBM&CW SEPTEMBER 2019 5
Utilization of Recycled Materials
Photo 3: Finished HIPR surface
Uniformity of treatment depth is desirable
and critical to the consistency of the HIPR
process. Photo 3 and 4 shows the finished
HIPR surface.
The most important and initial step in the
quality control of hot in-place recycled
mixes is in the selection of the pavement
to be recycled. Not all pavements are
good candidates for this type of recycling.
Cores of the pavement being considered
Photo 4: Pavement condition before rehabilitation
for HIPR must be taken during the
early planning for the project. The
cores should first be visually examined
for pavement problems such as
delaminations, stripping, water in the
voids or delaminations. Pavements
with delaminations, especially
saturated delaminations, in the top 5
cm (2 in) should not be considered for
HIPR projects. Also, pavements that
have been rutted, heavily patched, or
chip-sealed are not good candidates for
HIPR projects.
NH-31 Rehabilitation
Program
National Highway 31 (NH 31) starts from
Unnao in Uttar Pradesh passes through
Bihar and terminates at its crossing with
State Highway 10 (West Bengal). The
 Utilization of Recycled Materials
Figure 2: Gradation of Blended Material as per IRC 37
project road is in the state of Bihar, about
60 km in length. It was heavily deteriorated
showing signs of distress and failure,
especially in the form of cracks and
deformation. Photo 4 shows the condition
of the distressed pavement.
With the aim of recycling the existing
pavement layers and at the same time
strengthening the aged and distressed
pavement, Cold in situ recycling
using foamed bitumen approach was
considered. Based on field and laboratory
test results of the sub-grade and the
planned traffic design, if the pavement
had to be reconstructed, the existing 200-
230mm of existing bituminous layer would
not have been put on effective use and the
pavement design of the whole pavement is
shown in Table 4.
RAP Mix Design Using Foam
Bitumen
Refinery produced VG-30 grade bitumen
was used for foaming purpose. Injection
of cold water and air with varying pressure
into hot bitumen produces foamed bitumen.
The optimum water addition is chosen as
6 NBM&CW SEPTEMBER 2019
Figure 3: Optimum Moisture Content
an average of two water contents required
to meet minimum criteria of Expansion
Ratio (ER) more than 8 and half life (HL)
more than 6 second (as specified by
TG-2, 2009; Wirtgen, 2012). Foaming
experiment is conducted at two different
asphalt temperatures and four different
water contents. Best foam with an ER of
and HL 12s was observed at temperature
of 180°C and the foaming water content of
8 percent. This combination for foaming
was selected for the VG-30 binder in mix
design.
Preparation of Foam Mix
Materials like blended recycled and fresh
aggregate, foamed bitumen with VG-30,
and filler as cement of about one percent
is used. The average binder content in
this processed RAP material was found
to be 2.00 % by weight of total mix
according to ASTM D6307 test procedure.
The aggregates obtained after binder
extraction process were washed and dried
in oven for 24 hours. This was followed
by sieve analysis to find the particle size
distribution. 80 percent of RAP material,
19 percent of stone dust and 1percent
cement was blended to meet the gradation
requirement as given in IRC 37: 2012
(Figure 2).
The Optimum Moisture Content (OMC)
of the untreated blended materials was
determined using the moisture-density
relationship according to AASHTO T180
(2010) as shown in Figure 3. It was 6.5
percent. This pre-wetting water content is
added to get better dispersion of foam in
the mix. The sample of 8 kg of material was
prepared and mixed at particular Foamed
Binder Content in Wirtgen WLM 10 pug mill
mixer. The different batches by varying the
foam bitumen content from 2.0% to 3% in
increment of 0.5% by weight of aggregate
were prepared. Upon mixing, samples
were prepared using Marshal compactor.
Compacted mix was then cured for 72hrs
at 40°C in an oven. Moisture resistance
of foam mix was evaluated as per ASTM:
D6931-12.
Indirect Tensile Strength:
Dry & Wet
Indirect tensile strength test is useful
to evaluate resistance of compacted
bituminous mixture to cracking. Marshal
specimens were tested for their tensile
strength at 25oC. The failure load was
recorded and the indirect tensile strength
(St) was calculated using following
Equation (1)
Where, P is the load (kg), d is the diameter
in cm of the specimen; t is the thickness of
the specimen in cm.
 Utilization of Recycled Materials

To identify the susceptibility of binder

coating to moisture damage, indirect tensile
strength of water conditioned specimens
is determined. Unconditioned specimens
are maintained at room temperature and
then adjusted to 25oC. The conditioned
specimens are placed in a water bath
maintained at 25°C for 24 hours and then
placed in an environmental chamber
maintained at 25°C for two hours. The
minimum requirement of Dry ITS and
Wet ITS is 225 and 100kPa respectively.
The maximum strength both in wet and
dry conditions was found to be at 2.5% of
binder content.
The resilient modulus test was also carried
out to analyze the pavement response
for the repeated traffic loading, MR was
evaluated by measuring the indirect
tensile strength modulus according to
ASTM D7369 (2011). Table 5 shows the
Resilient Modulus at 25ºC and 35ºC for
different binder content. The maximum MR
values are obtained at 2.5% foamed binder
content at both the temperatures.
The final recommendation for RAP mix
(i) (ii) design was for 2.5% foam bitumen
and 6.5% optimum moisture content.
The optimum foaming characteristics
were achieved at temperature of 180°C
and foaming water content of 8%. This
combination for foaming was selected for
the VG-30 asphalt binder in mix design.
1% cement OPC 43 grade was added to
improve the stability and better dispersion
of foamed bitumen in fine particles of the
mix. The RAP content recommended to be
used was 80%, stone dust 19% and 1%
cement.
(iii) (iv)
The pavement was designed as per IRC
37:2012 for 150 msa and CBR 8%, with
90% reliability performance. The existing
bituminous crust was 200-230mm, out of
which 180mm was recycled. The new crust
composition is given in Table 6.

Field Construction
The existing bituminous crust was recycled
using foam bitumen. Photo 5 (i-v) shows
the recycling process carried out at NH 31
section. Fresh crusher dust was spread
(as per the gradation requirement) before
(v) spreading of the cement.
Photo 5: Cold in place recycling carried out at NH 31

NBM&CW SEPTEMBER 2019 7

 Utilization of Recycled Materials
WR240 machine was used for recycling
at NH31 project. The recycled surface
is cured for 48-72 hours by sprinkling of
water at an interval of 6-7 hours. Photo 6
shows the surface after overlay.
Conclusion
The recycling process resulted in
construction time saving, minimal use of
virgin aggregates, less transportation of
materials and several other environmental
benefits. Huge reduction in carbon
emissions can be achieved with the use
of RAP technology. The use of RAP is
growing worldwide in the interests of cost
savings and sustainability. However, in
India, the adoption of this sustainable road
construction technology is at snail’s pace.
While there are still challenges to overcome
related to predicting mixture performance,
the user guidelines and specifications
have been evolved based on research
and the industry’s desire to innovate. The
first step to take toward advancement
and wider implementation of RAP usage
is to adopt the practical guidance related
to mix design, materials characterization,
and virgin binder grade selection. Without
implementing the new state of knowledge,
the industry will not be able to take the next
step toward creating better performing,
high recycled content asphalt mixtures.
8 NBM&CW SEPTEMBER 2019
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Photo 6: Recycled surface after overlay
Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the team of
M/s Wirtgen India Pvt. Ltd, for their support
during the project work. The research
sponsoring organization and authors do
not endorse any proprietary products or
technologies mentioned in this paper.
These appear herein only because they
are considered essential to achieve the
objective of this article.
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