Assessing the impact of various industrial wastes on the volumetric and mechanical properties of warm mix asphalt (WMA)

In recent decades, sustainable practices in pavement construction have been studied to promote circular economy principles and protect the environment. This research seeks to determine the potential benefits of using three different industrial waste materials in formulating warm mix asphalt (WMA). WMA mixes were prepared using ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) from steel production and biomass fly ash (FA) from the paper industry as virgin filler replacement, and an industrial waste rich in lignin biopolymer (LB) from the hardboard industry as a partial substitute for binder. The study analyzed their volumetric and mechanical properties, including moisture damage resistance, resilient modulus, fatigue resistance, permanent deformation, and abrasion resistance, which were compared with those of a control WMA mix (without any waste). The findings provide insights into an important gap in the literature on the use of GGBFS and LB in WMA. GGBFS-2 mix (75 % GGBFS) exhibited the best fatigue performance but the highest axial deformation and rut depth. LB-1 mix (5 % LB) performed slightly worse than the control WMA mix in all tests. • The feasibility of using three different industrial wastes in WMA was analyzed. • The optimum binder and waste content were determined using moisture damage resistance test. • The volumetric properties of the control mixes and optimum waste content mixes were studied. • The WMA mixes were tested for stiffness, fatigue, permanent deformation, and abrasion. • WMA using GGBFS and LB were the mixes showing the best performance.