Use of Recycled Materials in Highway Construction

Public Roads - Scanning European Advances in The Use of Recycled Materials in Highway Construction , July/August 2000 - 5/27/19, 8*44 AM
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Federal Highway Administration > Publications > Public Roads > 00julaug > Public Roads
Publication Number: Date: July/August 2000

Issue No: Vol. 64 No. 1
Date: July/August 2000
ARTICLES Scanning European Advances in The Use

DEPARTMENTS of Recycled Materials in Highway
Editor's Notes Construction
Along the Road
by Katherine Holtz and T. Taylor Eighmy
Internet Watch
Recycled materials that have suitable engineering, environmental, and economic
Training Update properties can be used as substitutes for natural aggregates or materials in the
construction of highway infrastructure. Historically, both in the United States and
Conferences/Special abroad, these recycled materials are typically either recovered materials from the
Events Calendar transportation sector or secondary or byproduct materials from the industrial,
municipal, or mining sectors.
Examples from the transportation sector include reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), reclaimed concrete
aggregates (RCA) from deconstructed portland cement concrete pavements, and virgin petroleum-
contaminated soils. Examples from the industrial sector include blast furnace slag, steel slag, coal combustion
byproducts, and foundry sands. Examples from the municipal sector include waste glass, scrap tires,
construction and demolition (C&D) debris, petroleum-contaminated soils, roofing shingle scrap, plastics, and
municipal solid waste combustion residues. Examples of materials generated in the mining sector include
quarry wastes and mill tailings.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/00julaug/recycscan.cfm Page 1 of 8
In the United States, these process streams are estimated to be

between 352 million tons (320 million metric tons) and 859 million
tons (780 million metric tons) per year. Compare this to the use of
new materials in highway construction — estimated in the mid-
1990s to be about 350 million tons (317.5 million metric tons) per
year of which 320 million tons (290 million metric tons) are used
as aggregate — and it is obvious that there are potentially a
number of recycled materials that can be considered as
substitutes provided that they are economical, meet engineering
and environmental specifications, and perform as well as
traditional materials in the field.
There are seven major applications in the highway environment

Gerry Malasheskie (left) of the where recycled materials can be used — largely as substitutes
Pennsylvania DOT, Gerry Rohrbach for natural aggregate materials. These include use in asphalt
(center) of the Minnesota DOT, and concrete pavements, portland cement concrete pavements,
Maria Arm of the Swedish National Road granular bases, embankments or fills, stabilized bases, flowable
and Transport Research Institute fills or controlled low-strength materials for pipe bedding, and
examine reclaimed asphalt pavement landscaping applications. Other applications also exist — e.g.,
(RAP) feed stock at the Ammonn appurtenances such as curbs and gutters, medians, guardrails,
double-drum hot-mix plant outside of and signs — but these applications use smaller quantities of
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The plant materials, and their evaluation methods (both testing and
is owned by five large Dutch road evaluation criteria) are dictated by very specialized industrial or
construction companies. new product standards.
Use of Recycled Materials in the United States and Europe
Presently in the United States, accurate data on recycling rates (material used/material produced) are generally
not available. Actual data, once compiled, may reflect slightly better recycling rates. For now, data show the
following rates:
Blast furnace slag — 90 percent, with 12.6 million tons (11.4 million metric tons) used and 14 million
tons (12.7 million metric tons) produced.
Coal bottom ash — 31 percent, with 4.4 million tons (4 million metric tons) used and 14 million tons
(12.7 million metric tons) produced.
Coal fly ash — 27 percent, with 14.6 million tons (13.2 million metric tons) used and 53.5 million tons
RAP — 80 percent, with 33 million tons (30 million metric tons) used and 41 million tons (37.2 million
metric tons) produced.
Since the 1970s, a number of countries in Europe have been routinely using recycled materials with a high
degree of success. The most remarkable thing about the European experience is that the recycling rate of
materials in the highway environment frequently reaches 100 percent. Just a few examples are provided to
illustrate this point.
In Sweden, a large country with a relatively low population density and high aggregate availability, some rates
are:
Blast furnace slag — 45 percent, with 0.5 million tons (0.45 million metric tons) used and 1.1 million tons
Steel slag — 100 percent, with 0.22 million tons (0.2 million metric tons) used and produced.
RAP — 95 percent, with 0.84 million tons (0.76 million metric tons) used and 0.88 million tons (0.80
million metric tons) produced.
In Germany, a larger country with much industry and high aggregate availability, the following rates are
recorded:
Blast furnace slag — 100 percent, with 9.2 million tons (8.3 million metric tons) used and produced.
Steel slag — 92 percent, with 4.9 million tons (4.4 million metric tons) used and 5.3 million tons (4.8
Coal bottom ash — 97 percent, with 3 million tons (2.7 million metric tons) used and 3.1 million tons (2.8
Coal fly ash — 88 percent, with 3 million tons (2.7 million metric tons) used and 3.4 million tons (3.1
Municipal solid waste combustion bottom ash — 69 percent, with 2 million tons (1.8 million metric tons)
used and 2.9 million tons (2.6 million metric tons) produced.
RAP — 55 percent, with 7.3 million tons (6.6 million metric tons) used and 13.2 million tons (12 million
metric tons) produced.
Denmark, with a high population density and low natural aggregate availability, reports the following rates:
Crushed concrete — 81 percent, with 0.95 million tons (0.86 million metric tons) used and 1.17 million
tons (1.06 million metric tons) produced.
Coal bottom ash — 100 percent, with 2 million tons (0.18 million metric tons) used and produced.
Coal fly ash — 100 percent, with 1.17 million tons (1.06 million metric tons) used and produced.
RAP — 100 percent, with 0.53 million tons (0.48 million metric tons) used and produced.
Finally, the Netherlands, a populous country with more limited aggregate resources and a high degree of
industrialization, has a 100-percent recycling rate in several categories, including:
Blast furnace slag — 100 percent, with 1.32 million tons (1.2 million metric tons) used and produced.
Coal bottom ash — 100 percent, 0.09 million tons (0.08 million metric tons) used and produced.
Coal fly ash — 100 percent, with 0.94 million tons (0.85 million metric tons) used and produced.
C&D waste — 100 percent, 10.1 million tons (9.2 million metric tons) used and produced.
Municipal solid waste combustion bottom ash — 100 percent, with 0.9 million tons (0.8 million metric
tons) used and produced.
RAP — 100 percent, with 0.12 million tons (0.1 million metric tons) used and produced.
It is interesting to contrast the U.S. data with the European situation and to speculate about the reasons for the
successes seen in Europe. What combination of economics, engineering evaluation, and environmental
evaluation has allowed the European system to mature to such a degree? Are these circumstances applicable
to the U.S. situation?
Why a Scanning Tour?
Over the last decade, there has been an increasing interest within
the U.S. highway community on all levels to learn more about
advances in the use of recycled materials in the highway
environment. At the local level, road agents are being asked by
their communities to use municipal waste streams such as glass
cullett (crushed glass) in road construction.
A number of states have passed legislation to look more closely

on the state level at recycling within the highway environment.
Pennsylvania, for example, recently passed legislation promoting
recycling. From recent conferences in Austin, Texas, in 1998;
Harrisburg, Pa., in 1998; and Albany, N.Y., in 1999, it is apparent Scanning team members and scientists
that state departments of transportation (DOTs) and state from the Swedish Geotechnical Institute
environmental protection agencies (state EPAs) are trying to (SGI) examine lysimeters where steel
balance the desire for increased use of recycled materials with stag is being leached. The study is
concerns about potential environmental impacts. being conducted to examine the
environmental behavior of slags used in
At the federal level, the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) road bases and in embankments. In the
is working on agreements between states to allow reciprocity for foreground, Shari Schaftlein of the
beneficial use determinations (BUDs) permitting the use of Washington state DOT talks with Dr.
recycled materials in highway construction. The Federal Highway Ann-Marie Fallman of SGI.
Administration (FHWA) recently participated in the international
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development project "Recycling Strategies for Road Works,"
which concluded with a report on the state of the practice (see ISBN 92-69-15461-2).
FHWA has also supported a number of research projects on recycled materials use — particularly the project
"User Guidelines for Waste and Byproduct Materials in Highway Construction." The National Cooperative
Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has two projects nearing completion: "Waste and Recycled Materials
Information Database" and "Environmental Impacts of Construction and Repair Materials on Surface and
Ground Waters." U.S. EPA has established, under the federal government’s Comprehensive Procurement
Guidelines, the use of coal fly ash and ground, granulated blast furnace slags as cement substitutes in federal
construction projects.
The U.S. Congress, in the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), established the
Recycled Materials Resource Center (RMRC) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) for research and
outreach to reduce barriers to recycling in the highway environment. Congress also stipulated in TEA-21 that
recycled materials be researched to improve the durability of the surface transportation infrastructure.
In recognition of these recent developments on all levels and the growing interest within the U.S. highway
community, a team of U.S. recycling practitioners visited Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and
Sweden to observe research, policies, and programs promoting the use of recycled materials in the highway
environment within those countries. Of particular interest to the scanning team were the economic, engineering,
and environmental approaches that enable the high recycling rates and the successes seen in those countries.
The U.S. Delegation
The U.S. delegation was assembled under FHWA’s International Technology Scanning Program. The
delegation was sponsored by FHWA and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASHTO) through NCHRP and RMRC. The delegation included members with expertise in materials,
pavement engineering, pavement construction and recycling, beneficial use determinations, and environmental
evaluation. They represented FHWA, U.S. EPA, state DOTs, the American Public Works Association (APWA),
the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), and academia. The trip took place in September 1999.
The scanning trip summary report has been issued and is available at http://www.rmrc.unh.edu. A final report is
expected by mid-2000. It will be widely distributed in print, and it will be available at http://www.rmrc.unh.edu.
The U.S. delegation identified a number of determining factors that have played a role in the success of
recycling within the highway community in Europe — particularly in the Netherlands. They fall under the
general concept of "sustainability" within the highway environment. The major components of sustainability
initiatives are the three E’s: economics, engineering, and environment.
Sustainability as a Model for Success
The Netherlands probably best typifies the concept of sustainability and the importance of the three E’s. The
recycling or reuse of secondary materials within the building industry is commonplace — more than 10 percent
of all granular materials used within the building industry are recycled materials. In the highway construction
sector, recycling rates of nearly 100 percent are seen.
The Netherlands is an affluent country with high population densities and limited land resources. The public has
elected not to use their limited land resources for landfills or aggregate mining. This led the Dutch to develop
the concept of "sustainable development within the building industry," including the highway construction
industry. The basic premise of the sustainability concept is that material cycles should be closed (use, reuse,
re-reuse, etc.) so that there is less disposal and less consumption of nonrenewable natural materials. A number
of legislative initiatives — including the National Environmental Policy Plan, the Waste Materials Policy, the Soil
Protection Policy, the Surface Minerals Policy, and the Construction Industry Policy Declaration — contributed
to the framework for sustainable construction.
Specifically, the Dutch have adopted a "market" philosophy in which recycled materials are considered
"products" and not "wastes." This means that the product will exhibit a typical product life cycle in the
marketplace. The market is supported by governmental and private-sector informational campaigns and
policies. This concept might be a predictor of how the U.S. market might eventually evolve within states or
geographic regions in which population densities are high, natural aggregates are scarce, and sources of
suitable recycled materials are plentiful.
In the Netherlands, the government provides clear and unequivocal engineering and environmental standards
for all recycled materials. This is usually achieved through governmental research in support of the standards.
Furthermore, public or industrial working groups (including contractors) work together to achieve these
standards. The recycled materials producers treat their materials like a "product," using certified quality-
assurance/quality-control programs so that the materials can compete against natural materials. There is clear
policy, planning, and implementation, which allow the producers and contractors to prepare for this new market.
There are some disincentives from the government such as hefty landfill disposal taxes on materials that can
be recycled and modest taxes on the use of natural aggregates. If these aspects are combined, then a mature
recycling market can develop over time.
The evidence for a mature market in the Netherlands is shown by the fact that a number of materials are
recycled at rates greater than 90 percent: steel slag, blast furnace slag, phosphorus slag, coal fly ash,
construction and demolition aggregates, municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash, and RAP. Others, such
as contaminated dredge spoils, are not used as widely because of environmental concerns.
Economics
From an economics perspective, engineering and environmental life-cycle costs and benefits are the basis for
many of the recycling initiatives in Europe. The free market generally plays a central role in all aspects of the
highway recycling industry. Tax structures (both incentives and disincentives) have played an important role in
promoting recycling in the highway environment in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Denmark and the
Netherlands tax the use of natural materials. Restrictive landfill taxes and policies in Denmark, France, and the
Netherlands (and soon within the European Union) are also promoting recycling. Companies that supply
natural materials also tend to supply recycled materials. They typically have the equipment to be able to
process the recycled materials to meet certain engineering specifications. A number of materials, such as RAP,
blast furnace slag, crushed concrete, and high-quality C&D aggregates, are of high engineering and
environmental quality and compete favorably with natural materials in a typical supply-and-demand situation.
For instance, demand for some of these recycled materials in the Netherlands is so high that there are
anticipated shortages for the next few years.
Engineering
A number of interesting observations can be made about the

engineering aspects of recycling. A few countries require that
recycled materials meet the same specifications as natural
materials and provide equal performance in the field. An
approved product list is generally not used; ultimate performance
is the determining factor in promoting the use of recycled
materials. As in the United States, there is still concern that many
engineering test methods do not predict true field performance,
but ongoing research in Germany and Sweden with load
simulators is, in part, addressing this issue.
Of particular interest was work conducted by Dr. Heinrich Werner Katherine Holtz (left) of the Texas DOT
at the German Federal Roads Institute (Budesanstalt für and Gerry Malasheskie of the
Straßenwesen, or BASt). Their work involved testing full-scale Pennsylvania DOT examine processed
C&D aggregates at the Jean LeFebvre
model pavements made with RAP, crushed concrete from processing facility near Paris.
pavements and building slabs, and two classes of C&D
aggregates as an unbound base. Testing was conducted under controlled freezing and thawing conditions. An
impulse loader was used to produce design-life simulated loads (truck and vehicle) over very short time
periods. Surface deformation, pressure distributions, bearing capacity, and moisture profiles were examined.
RAP and crushed concrete were found to be comparable to control-group materials in performance. One class
of C&D aggregates was more susceptible to rutting, deformation, and freezing/expansion.
In virtually all of the countries, crushed concrete and C&D aggregates are high in quality and are widely used in
road construction. Processing facilities can produce wide ranges of aggregate sizes for blending with natural
materials. In many of the countries, foamed bitumen is used to treat certain recycled materials (e.g., tar
pavement, municipal solid waste bottom ash) for use in a stabilized base course. However, unlike the United
States, portable plants are used to treat storage piles, and the material is placed for up to 30 days provided that
it is stored in an un-compacted state. In additional, some new equipment facilitates the use of foamed bitumen
during in-place recycling.
In the Netherlands, an innovative, Swiss-designed, double-drum hot-mix plant capable of recycling up to 70-
percent RAP was observed. The double-drum plant heats up RAP in the lower drum. The off-gases are used as
fuel to dry the natural aggregate in the upper drum prior to blending with the RAP in a mix box. Such an
arrangement produces very clean air emissions from the facility, but such plants may be expensive to
purchase.
Environmental
An environmental approval process that is now used in the Netherlands and under consideration by the
European Union involves mechanistic leaching tests and application-specific evaluation of incremental impacts
on background soil and groundwater. This process might be appropriate in the United States.
A large mechanistic leaching database for more than 25 recycled materials (both as unbound material and in
various concrete and asphaltic applications) is maintained by Dr. Hans van der Sloot at the Netherlands Energy
Research Foundation. Data about materials from many countries have been collected for about 10 years. This
may become a Web-based database that may be of use to state regulators.
There is consistent agreement to move from laboratory work to performance modeling based on field
validation. A European Union Fourth Framework project, Alternative Materials (ALT-MAT), illustrates this
approach and is a model for U.S. consideration. ALT-MAT involves researchers from nine federal research
laboratories in seven countries. The materials that are being explored include C&D aggregates, municipal solid
waste incineration bottom ash, steel slag, ferrochrome slag, air-cooled blast furnace slag, and crushed glass.
Researchers are looking at mechanical properties, environmental properties (including unbound and bound
leaching behavior), aging in climate chambers, leaching in lysimeters, and mechanical and environmental
evaluations of field pavements made with some of these materials. (See http://www.trl.co.uk/altmat/index.htm.)
The ALT-MAT project will be completed this year.
THE U.S. DELEGATION
The U.S. delegation consisted of Vincent Schimmoller, program manager, Office of Infrastructure, Federal
Highway Administration (co-chair); Katherine Holtz, director of the Materials Section, Texas DOT (co-chair
and representing the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials); Dr. Taylor
Eighmy, director of the University of New Hampshire's Recycled Materials Resource Center (report
facilitator and representing academia); Carlton Wiles, Recycled Materials Resource Center (representing
academia); Gerald Malasheskie, Pennsylvania DOT (representing AASHTO); Gerald Rohrbach,
Minnesota DOT (representing AASHTO); Shari Schaftlein, Washington state DOT (representing
AASHTO); Bob Campbell, Snohomish County Public Works, Washington state (representing the
American Public Works Association); Greg Helms, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Charles Van
Deusen, National Asphalt Pavement Association; Michael Smith, FHWA Southern Resource Center;
Robert Ford, FHWA Office of International Programs; and Jake Almborg of American Trade Initiatives
(coordinator).
Much of the text for this article came from the Scanning Trip Summary Report, a document that the entire
delegation authored.
Next Steps and Follow-On Demonstration Project
The U.S. delegation is working with their respective constituencies to promote recommendations from the
summary report and final report. Specific implementation strategies include Web, electronic, and printed
distribution of the final report, numerous presentations, and published articles.
To further promote technology transfer and to start reducing the barriers, a demonstration project is planned for
this fall in Houston, Texas. At this time, it is being sponsored by FHWA and RMRC with participation from
AASHTO and the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO). The
project will target 10 to 12 states — both state DOTs (materials engineers and environmental staff) and state
EPAs — to bring them together to learn about European and U.S. advances in recycling within the highway
environment and to identify strategic activities to further promote recycling. In addition, field demonstrations of
new technologies, such as the use of foamed bitumen as a stabilizer for recycled materials in base course and
the use of C&D aggregates in pavements, will be conducted.
Katherine Holtz is the director of the Materials Section, Construction Division, of the Texas Department of
Transportation. She is a registered professional engineer.
T. Taylor Eighmy is a research professor of civil engineering at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in
Durham, N.H. Dr. Eighmy currently directs the Recycled Materials Resource Center (RMRC) at UNH; RMRC is
a partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to promote recycled materials use in the
highway environment. He also directs the Environmental Research Group (ERG) at UNH; ERG is one of the
university’s formal research centers and the parent organization to RMRC. His research interests include
materials characterization, geochemical modeling of leaching, and leaching of highway products containing
recycled materials. He is the principal investigator (PI) on two FHWA-funded projects: Development of a
Predictive Approach for Long-Term Environmental Performance of Waste Utilization in Pavements Using
Accelerated Aging and Development of a Consensus Framework for Waste Utilization Evaluation Procedures.
Formerly, he was a PI on the Laconia, N.H., Bottom Ash Paving Project, a member of the International Energy
Agency’s International Ash Working Group (IAWG), and a member of FHWA’s Expert Advisory Panel for the
User Guideline for Waste and Byproduct Materials in Pavement Construction project. Dr. Eighmy received both
his master’s degree and doctorate in civil engineering from UNH. He is a member of The International Society
for the Environmental and Technical Implications of Construction with Alternative Materials (ISCOWA).
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Public Roads - Scanning European Advances in The Use of Recycled Materials in Highway Construction , July/August 2000 - 5/27/19, 8*44 AM

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology

Search Research & Technology

Publication Number: Date: July/August 2000

ARTICLES Scanning European Advances in The Use

In the United States, these process streams are estimated to be

There are seven major applications in the highway environment

Use of Recycled Materials in the United States and Europe

Why a Scanning Tour?

A number of states have passed legislation to look more closely

The U.S. Delegation

Sustainability as a Model for Success

A number of interesting observations can be made about the

THE U.S. DELEGATION

Next Steps and Follow-On Demonstration Project

Topics: Public Roads, Research,Safety, Infrastructure, Operations, Environment, Policy, Materials,

This page last modified on 01/31/2017

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