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Bitumen-concrete is a mix of mineral feedstock (including sand and macadam) and warmed bitumen. The quality of road pavement is directly dependent on the composition of this material: in particular, its strain resistance to the impact of freight vessels during hot summer season, as well as to the fractures emerging in very cold weather. Hence, the search for optimal composition of bitumen-concrete is one of the key areas of applied research, including the research in Perm Polytechnical University, where the scientists proposed to use crashed plastic containers from engine oil made of high-density polyethylene. About 450 mln of such containers are produced in Russia on an annual basis: if they are buried, they may contaminate ground waters, and if they are burnt they may generate carbon dioxide emissions.
The authors of the research emptied the containers of 1, 4, 10 and 30 liters and crushed them. Plastic pieces together with the remaining engine oil (residual content making 8% of the cumulative capacity of the containers) were added to the mix of send, macadam and bitumen with different concentration rates. The experiments demonstrated that the optimal concentration of the crushed packaging was from 4% to 18%, and of bitumen – from 5.5% to 5.8%. Due to the shape of such pieces and their rough surface, they perform as reinforcing element. In its turn, it decreases the consumption of cementing components and prolongs the service life of bitumen-concrete.
“We studied the toxic properties of our mix using green unicellular algae and entomostracan. We tested the obtained species with respect to their compliance with the state standards (GOSTs) requirements and proved that the mix of bitumen-concrete mixed with crushed containers of engine oil is not toxic and is in line with all the requirements”, Perm Polytechnical University is citing Kirill Tyuryukhanov, the associate professor of Motorways and Bridges Department.
