Sustainable Construction: Optimization of Road Potholes Repair with Polymer Mix Aggregates

Abstract

The roads in Banyuwangi city have sustained considerable damage; the asphalt supply has not met the need because 45% of the roads are built using gravel and soil. Another problem is related to plastic, which is a type of waste that is difficult to recycle. Thereby, to solve these two problems, we conducted research in making polymer-modified asphalt by utilizing food packaging plastic waste. The process followed the standard specification of Highway Construction Division 6, revision 3: the polymer blending process was performed when the hot asphalt mixing temperature was 145°C-155°C. The research results found that the variation of asphalt content used in the mixture was 4.5%, 5%, 5.5%, and 6%. Moreover, the optimal asphalt content was 6%. The polymer was mixed with the optimal asphalt content of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%. The test results showed that the optimal polymer content was 1% polymer. For optimizing and repairing road potholes, polymer asphalt with asphalt content of 6% mixed and 1% polymer can be chosen as a solution. Polymer-modified asphalt had a high stability value, which was 1181.9 kg. The discovery of this mixture of materials is very appropriate for sustainable road construction in Indonesia.