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Sustainability Assessments and Implementations in Transport Pavement Infrastructure

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 August 2024 | Viewed by 6083

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Fusong Wang

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Guest Editor

School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: quantifying the environmental impacts of asphalt pavements; asphalt VOCs’ emission characteristics; solid waste resource utilization and assessments; ecological maintenance technologies for asphalt pavement

Dr. Wenxiu Jiao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Interests: road engineering materials and structures; eco-friendly pavement materials; functional pavement implementations; sustainable materials for asphalt pavement

Dr. Zhilong Cao

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Guest Editor

Department of Road and Railway Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Interests: green construction materials; pavement material modification and life extension; functional low-carbon pavement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Anqi Chen

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: damage mechanism of asphalt materials; recycling and reuse of solid waste; low-carbon maintenance technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

(1) Introduction, including scientific background and highlighting the importance of this research area.

Transport pavement infrastructure is closely connected to the development of national economy and technology. The majority of countries attach great importance to the expansion of its scale and servicing quality. However, overwhelming expansions have triggered multiple discussions regarding the negative environmental impacts. Hence, conducting environmental assessments and promoting sustainable implementations toward transport pavement infrastructure would greatly enhance the national development of sustainability and urbanization in the near future.

(2) Aim of the Special Issue and how the subject relates to the journal scope.

This Special Issue focuses on environmental impact assessments and corresponding sustainable implementations during the construction and servicing process of transport pavement infrastructure. By accelerating the development and application of ecological materials and advanced low-carbon construction and maintenance technologies, the existing way of thinking in the transport infrastructure system began to develop in the direction of climate response. We share the goal of exploring workable alternatives in the promotion of the low-carbon transition of the global transport pavement infrastructure and further deepening the implementation of the global sustainable development strategy.

(3) Suggest themes.

Topics covered in this Special Issue may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Solid waste utilization for pavement construction;
Environmental impacts for pavement maintenance technologies;
Sustainable construction technologies for asphalt pavements;
Photocatalytic asphalt pavement construction;
Practical application of solar energy in transport pavement infrastructure;
The quantification and assessment of GHG emissions from pavement life cycle;
Potential opportunities in existing technologies to achieve carbon neutrality;
Renewable energy sources applied on pavement construction and design;
Workable implementations of low-carbon pavement infrastructure.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Fusong Wang
Dr. Wenxiu Jiao
Dr. Zhilong Cao
Dr. Anqi Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainable pavement
pollution controlling
low-carbon construction path
waste materials utilization
advanced pavement implementation
energy consumption
GHG emission
environmental assessment

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 8697 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recycling of Retired Wind Turbine Blades into Modifiers for Composite-Modified Asphalt Pavements: Performance Evaluation

by Peixin Li, Xiaodan Wang, Weijie Chen, Tao Yang, Xiaoya Bian and Xiong Xu

Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2343; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062343 - 12 Mar 2024

Viewed by 522

Abstract

With the rapid development of wind energy, large-scale disposal of retired wind turbine blades (rWTBs) has become a hotspot issue worldwide, especially in China. Currently, some practices have reused them in producing artworks, bus stations, concrete structures, etc., but their consumption and value are considered to be very low. Therefore, the recycling of rWTBs into asphalt pavement may be a good way to achieve the goals of large consumption and added value. On this basis, this study first obtained rWTBs crushed and ground into fine powders and then mechanically mixed with styrene–butadiene rubber after silane treatment for the final preparation of the powder modifier (R-Si-rWTB). Afterward, these modifiers were used to prepare composite-modified asphalt mixtures in combination with SBS. Through a series of structure and performance characterizations, the following valuable findings were reached: after the silane and rubber treatments, the microstructure of rWTBs became tougher and almost all of the fibers were coated by the rubber; the R-Si-rWTB modifier had a significant effect on improving the resistances of the asphalt mixture to moisture-induced damage, reaching 95.6%; compared to that of the virgin asphalt mixture (83.67%), the immersed residual Marshall stability of the 30R-Si-rWTB/70SBS asphalt mixture was higher, being between 86% and 90%; the rut depth development of 30R-Si-rWTB/70SBS was very close to that of 0R-Si-rWTB/100SBS, and their dynamic stabilities were close to each other, namely, 5887 pass/mm and 5972 pass/mm; and after aging, the resistances of the 30R-Si-rWTB/70SBS asphalt mixture to moisture and freeze–thaw damage improved. Overall, the value-added recycling of rWTBs into a modifier can contribute to better and more durable asphalt pavement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessments and Implementations in Transport Pavement Infrastructure)

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16 pages, 7107 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Interaction Mechanism between Aromatic Oil and High-Content Waste-Rubber-Modified Asphalt

by Yuan Yan, Xinxing Zhou, Ruiqie Jiang, Maoping Ran and Xinglin Zhou

Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14079; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914079 - 22 Sep 2023

Viewed by 729

Abstract

High-content waste-rubber-modified asphalt (HRMA) has high viscosity and poor storage stability. HRMA not only improves the properties of road asphalt, but also reduces the environmental pollution caused by waste tires. Enhancing the molecular interaction of waste rubber and asphalt is key to making full use of HRMA. In this paper, aromatic oil was used as the activator for waste rubber. The molecular interaction mechanism between aromatic oil and HRMA was investigated. The radial distribution function, diffusion coefficient, free volume, solubility parameter, and shear viscosity were calculated through molecular simulations. Storage stability, micromorphology, and adhesive force were measured via experiments. The adhesive force of HRMA−1 (4.9 nN) was lower than that of RMA (6.2 nN) and HRMA−2 (5.8 nN). The results show that aromatic oil can promote the dispersion of waste rubber, making the storage of asphalt systems stable. There exists a strong electrostatic force between rubber and asphaltenes and an intermolecular force between rubber and aromatic oil or aromatics, which makes the aromatic oil and aromatics of parcel rubber molecules and waste rubber highly soluble in asphalt. Molecular simulations confirmed the molecular interaction between rubber and aromatic oil, and aromatic oil was shown to reduce the viscosity of HRMA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessments and Implementations in Transport Pavement Infrastructure)

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21 pages, 8021 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Durability and Long-Term Moisture Stability Improvement of Asphalt Mixture Based on Buton Rock Asphalt

by Yinglong Zhang, Yutong Zhou, Xiaodi Hu, Jiuming Wan, Wenxia Gan, Yafei Jing, Jiakun Liu and Zongwu Chen

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12708; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712708 - 22 Aug 2023

Viewed by 613

Abstract

Buton rock asphalt (BRA) has been used in asphalt pavement for its contribution to high-temperature stability. However, how BRA affects the durability of a corresponding asphalt mixture requires systemic discussion. This study investigated how BRA affected durability in terms of the fatigue resistance, thermo-oxidative aging resistance, and long-term moisture stability of asphalt mixture. Furthermore, improvement of the long-term moisture stability of asphalt mixture containing BRA modified asphalt (BRAM) was also included. An AC-20C asphalt mixture based on BRA asphalt, neat asphalt, and SBS-modified asphalt were prepared and their high-temperature, low-temperature, and moisture performance were examined. A semi-circular bending cyclic loading test was used to characterize fatigue performance. Thermo-oxidative aging tests in both the short-term and long-term were used to indicate the aging performance. Freeze–thaw cyclic splitting tests were carried out to investigate BRAM’s long-term moisture stability. Finally, the optimization and enhancement of BRAM’s long-term moisture stability was discussed in terms of ceramic, basalt, and polyester fiber, as well as hydrated lime. Results showed that BRA can enhance the high-temperature, low-temperature, and moisture performance of BRAM. The cracking fatigue resistance and thermo-oxidative aging resistance of BRAM were also improved by BRA. The long-term moisture stability of BRAM was lower than that of the asphalt mixture based on SBS and neat asphalt. It was found that the long-term moisture durability of BRAM can be optimally enhanced by replacing mineral filler with 50% hydrated lime by equal volume and using 0.2wt% ceramic fiber as an additive in BRAM. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessments and Implementations in Transport Pavement Infrastructure)

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40 pages, 3057 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction of Compressive Strength and Elastic Modulus for Recycled Aggregate Concrete Based on AutoGluon

by Chenxi Lin, Yidan Sun, Wenxiu Jiao, Jiajie Zheng, Zhijuan Li and Shujun Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12345; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612345 - 14 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 977

Abstract

While the civil construction industry brings great convenience to life, the large amount of waste concrete also poses a significant problem of construction waste disposal. As one of the effective ways to utilize waste concrete, recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) can improve the environment while reducing the consumption of construction materials. This study aims to use AutoGluon (AG), an automated machine learning platform, to predict both the compressive strength and elastic modulus of RAC. Then the performance of AG is compared with traditional empirical formulas and multiple linear regression models. The determination coefficient (R²) is chosen as one of the evaluation standards for predicting values. The results demonstrate that the WeightedEnsemble model of AG performed best in predicting both the compressive strength and elastic modulus, which provides a new method for the rapid and accurate prediction of the properties of RAC in engineering construction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessments and Implementations in Transport Pavement Infrastructure)

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21 pages, 17721 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Interaction Damage Mechanism and Treatment Measures for an Underpass Landslide Tunnel: A Case from Southwest China

by Wangwang Zhou, Xulin Xu, Xiaoqing Li and Shiyun Li

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11398; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411398 - 22 Jul 2023

Viewed by 929

Abstract

Previous studies have analyzed the damage of tunnels and slopes as a single entity, ignoring the interaction effect between the tunnels and slopes, which will have an impact on the accuracy of the damage mechanism and the safety of the treatment measures. In this paper, three types of simulation models are established—the natural state, after tunnel excavation, and after reinforcement measures—considering a case study of an underpass landslide tunnel in southwest China. Based on the theory of underpass landslide tunnels and the strength reduction method, the interaction damage mechanism of this underpass landslide tunnel is revealed, and a reasonable treatment plan is proposed. The analysis results show the following: there is an obvious interaction effect between the tunnel collapse and the slope instability; a large number of mudstones common in the surrounding rock of the tunnel have rheological properties, which amplify the influence of the interaction effect of the tunnel through the landslide; and the proposed comprehensive treatment measures of “rescue inside the tunnel cave + tunnel slope treatment” have strong pertinence and effectiveness, and they fundamentally address the tunnel collapse and the slope instability of the tunnel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessments and Implementations in Transport Pavement Infrastructure)

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21 pages, 5077 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Methodological Review on Development of Crack Healing Technologies of Asphalt Pavement

by Lei Zhang, Inge Hoff, Xuemei Zhang, Jianan Liu, Chao Yang and Fusong Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9659; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129659 - 16 Jun 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1567

Abstract

Crack healing has been a key area of asphalt pavement research. In this review, different crack-healing theories and crack-healing evaluation methods in bitumen and asphalt mixtures are summarized and presented. Then different crack healing technologies have highlighted the problems and solutions associated with their implementation. Detailly, traditional technologies (hot pouring and fog seal) are introduced. They mainly fill cracks from the outside, which can effectively prevent further damage to the asphalt pavement, when the cracks have generally developed to the middle and late stages of practical engineering. Their extension of the life of the asphalt pavement is relatively limited. Energy supply technologies (induction and microwave heating) have demonstrated significant efficacy in enhancing the crack healing capability of asphalt pavement, particularly in microcracks. Now, Extensive laboratory testing and some field test sections have been conducted and they are waiting for the promotion from the industry. The agents encapsulated technologies (Saturated porous aggregates encapsulate rejuvenators, Core-shell polymeric microcapsules, Ca-alginate capsule, Hollow fibers and Compartment fibers) not only heal cracks but rejuvenate the aged asphalt pavement. In order to promote industrial application, more field test sections and large industrial mixing and compaction equipment applications need to be implemented. Finally, some other potential crack healing techniques (coupling application, electrical conductivity, 3D printing, and modifications) are also mentioned. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessments and Implementations in Transport Pavement Infrastructure)

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