Pyrolysed wax from recycled crosslinked polyethylene as a warm-mix asphalt (WMA) additive for crumb-rubber-modified asphalt

Abstract

Recycled polyethylene wax is a kind of pyrolysed wax obtained from recycled polyethylene. Effects of recycled pyrolytic polyethylene wax (RPPW) on the properties of crumb-rubber-modified asphalt (CRMA) were investigated. The effects of RPPW and Sasobit wax on asphalt performance were also compared. RPPW showed a superior viscosity-decreasing effect on CRMA at high temperature (>100°C). The addition of RPPW increased the softening point and the complex modulus but reduced the phase angle of CRMA. The results show that CRMA modified with RPPW exhibits remarkable construction performance at lower temperature for warm-mix asphalt. Therefore, this study represents a novel attempt to deal with the rapid increase in quantities of waste crosslinked polyethylene, which is significant from both environmental and economic standpoints. © Smithers Rapra Technology, 2011.