Evaluation of the engineering properties of powdered activated carbon amendments in porous asphalt pavement

Abstract

Porous asphalt pavement (PAP) with a high drainage capacity was modified with powdered activated carbon (PAC) addition to produce permeable reactive pavement (PRP), which may exhibit the potential to reduce environmental non-point source (NPS) pollution. The experimental design mixtures used to produce and test the PRP incorporated with PAC (named PRP-PACs) were conducted as follows: first, the PACs were initially tested to determine their feasibility as an additive in PAP; second, different amounts of PAC were added during the preparation of PAP to produce PRPPAC, and the unregulated and regulated physical characteristics for the mechanical performance of PRP-PACs were examined to ensure that they meet the regulatory specifications. Third, the aqueous contaminants, namely benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, and xylene (BTEX), column adsorption tests were preliminarily conducted to demonstrate their adsorption capacities compared to traditional PAP. The compositions of 0.8% and 1.5% PAC (by wt.) (PRP-PAC08 and PRP-PAC15) met all the regulated specifications. As compared to PAP, PRP-PAC08 exhibited higher BTEX adsorption capacities than PAP, which were 47%, 49%, 29% and 2%. PRP-PAC08 showed both superior physical properties and adsorption performance than PAP and may be recommended as an engineering application that reduces the potential for NPS contamination of air, soil, groundwater, and surface water.