Utilizing marble and granite industry waste in asphalt mixtures for enhanced road performance and sustainability

Abstract

Incorporating waste into highway construction has shown to be a promising approach for mitigating environmental impacts and reducing production costs by decreasing the consumption of virgin raw materials. In this context, this study investigated the feasibility of using marble and granite industry waste as a partial and total substitute for filler in hot asphalt mixtures. Physical analyses of the constituents were carried out, and the asphalt mixtures were designed using the SUPERPAVE methodology. The filler content obtained was 2 % for the upper gradation curve determined during the dosage process. Subsequently, the marble and granite residue was added in proportions of 50 % and 100 % by weight, replacing the commonly used filler, hydrated lime. The asphalt mixtures were evaluated for their mechanical performance through tests for tensile strength and resilient modulus. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using the Student's t-test with a significance level of 5 %. The results indicated that asphalt mixtures with marble and granite waste exhibited slightly superior mechanical performance compared to the control mixture (with 0 % residue). The statistical test revealed no significant differences between the mixtures for the conducted tests. Additionally, the production costs per ton and per kilometer of highway were practically the same for all three types of evaluated mixtures. In conclusion, the addition of marble and granite industry waste as filler, both partially and entirely, is feasible from both technical and economic perspectives, as it demonstrated equivalent performance to the control mixture. This approach also represents a means to minimize environmental impacts by reducing the demand for raw materials (hydrated lime) and contributing to the proper disposal of waste generated by the ornamental rocks industry.