PURPOSES : This study was conducted to evaluate the physical properties of the RAP 50 asphalt mixture containing polymer modified rejuvenator and warm-mix additive to improve the recycling rate of RAP and reduce CO2 emission. METHODS : Mix design of Polymer Modified Warm-mix Asphalt Mixture(RAP 50), and Hot Mix Asphalt Mixture(RAP 30) were produced and the properties of asphalt mixture such as Marshall Stability, ITS, Deformation Strength, TSR, and Dynamic Stability were compared between the two asphalt mixtures. RESULTS : The RAP 50 asphalt mixture showed superior or similar performances compared to the RAP 30 asphalt mixture in all the tests conducted. The results of the Marshall stability and dynamic stability in particular were 13,045N and 3,826 pass/mm, which were 11.37% and 76.7% greater than the RAP 30 asphalt mixture, which indicated that high plastic deformation resistance may be expected. CONCLUSIONS : The results obtained from laboratory tests on the two types of mixtures indicated that the use of polymer modified rejuvenator and warm-mix additive not only allows to increase the proportion of RAP but also improves its properties under lower temperature condition than RAP 30 asphalt mixture. Additionally, it was confirmed that plastic deformation resistance was high and moisture resistance and crack resistance were improved for a RAP 50 asphalt mixture.

PURPOSES : This study is aimed to economic analysis of the ferronickel slag pavement method carried out to suggest the necessity of developing ferronickel slag pavement technology. METHODS : A life cycle cost analysis of the application of the Ferronickel Slag pavement method and the cutting + overlay pavement method was performed to compare the economic indicators and greenhouse gas emissions for each pavement method. RESULTS : As a result of the analysis, regardless of the Ferronickel Slag mixing rate, if the common performance of the Ferronickel Slag pavement method is the same or superior to the existing pavement method, it is more economical than the existing pavement method. Furthermore, the lower the maintenance cost of the Ferronickel Slag pavement method, the higher the economic feasibility due to the high Ferronickel Slag mixing rate. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced from at least 9% to up to 53% through the application of the Ferronickel Slag pavement method, except for some scenario analysis results. CONCLUSIONS : This study provided that the Ferronickel Slag pavement method was superior to the existing pavement method in terms of economic and environmental aspects. Therefore, it was found that the objective justification of developing road pavement technology using Ferronickel Slag was secured.

PURPOSES : In this study, the resources and energy consumed to produce hot mix asphalt mixtures and hot mix reclaimed asphalt mixtures in asphalt concrete plants were estimated and the emissions from the detailed processes of the production process were evaluated based on TRACI(the tool for the reduction and assessment of chemical and other environmental impacts). METHODS : To estimate the energy consumption of the aggregate drying process, which consumes a significant amount of energy in the production process, an energy consumption calculation model based on the thermal equilibrium equation was used, and the energy consumed for material transportation, storage, and operation of other facilities was cited from the literature. RESULTS : For the system boundary conditions established and the inventory considered, the emissions to produce one ton of hot mix reclaimed asphalt mix are greater than the emissions to produce one ton of hot mix asphalt mix for a number of key impact categories. The process of producing hot mix reclaimed asphalt mixtures was evaluated to consume more resources and energy in the production of recycled aggregates and heating for drying than in the production of hot mix asphalt mixtures, but less resources and energy in the production of binders and natural virgin aggregates and the heating to heat these materials. CONCLUSIONS : The results of the emissions assessment using the life cycle inventory for the production of hot mix asphalt mixtures were generally similar to the results understood in the field and in much of the literatures, confirming the reliability of the methodology. However, in order to evaluate the dominance of specific processes or mixtures, it is believed that the construction of a wide range of inventory databases after inventory redesign is necessary for a specific and rigorous assessment.

PURPOSES : This research assesses the influence of emulsified asphalt on vegetation growth by examining parameters such as moisture content, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and analyzing the extent of green coverage using image analysis. METHODS : Within this study, sensors were employed to measure the growth environment of vegetation treated with emulsified asphalt. Furthermore, the analysis of the greening rate through image analysis has been incorporated. RESULTS : Research indicates that emulsified asphalt effectively secures seeds to surfaces and maintains moisture content for an extended period. However, the excessive utilization of emulsified asphalt has been observed to reduce germination and greening rates. CONCLUSIONS : The application of an optimal emulsified asphalt content is presumed to promote vegetation growth. To establish objective, it is imperative to conduct comprehensive research on its long-term structural effects regarding growth, greening rate, and slope when integrated with emulsified asphalt.

The asphalt concrete industry, accounting for >90% of road pavement, is a crucial contributor to construction waste. This study focuses on the recycling of asphalt concrete recycled aggregates, which currently exhibits a low rate. We investigated the application of these aggregates, combined with hardener and mixing water, in the development of ecofriendly road base materials using circular aggregates. Results revealed that the 13-mm asphalt concrete recycled aggregates met all quality standards. However, the 25-mm aggregates did not conform to the reclaimed asphalt content standard; however, they met other quality standards. Moreover, the experimental results for the hardener and mixing water indicated compliance with all quality standards.

PURPOSES : In this study, energy-consuming processes in asphalt plants were evaluated, and the drying and mixing processes were characterized using a thermal equilibrium equation-based model to quantitatively estimate the amount of energy consumed during the production of mixtures in asphalt concrete plants. METHODS : An energy consumption model based on the thermal equilibrium equation was used to estimate the energy consumption of the aggregate drying process that consumes the maximum energy; the energy consumed for material transportation, storage, and operation of other facilities was cited from the literature. The results were compared with the actual results obtained for recycled hot asphalt mixtures and recycled warm mix asphalt mixtures, and a sensitivity analysis was performed by varying the conditions. RESULTS : An analysis of the main processes required to produce asphalt mixtures showed that the water content had the largest impact on energy consumption (approximately 80%). This quantitatively supports the opinion of field practitioners that maximum energy is consumed during aggregate drying. Although some discrepancies were observed, the results were found to be reasonable and within the range of typical measurements. CONCLUSIONS : The thermal energy consumption estimation model provides consistent results that reflect the characteristics of the mixture and can be used to derive the thermal energy consumption rates for individual materials, such as aggregates and binders. This can be used to identify the priorities for process optimization within a plant.

PURPOSES : This study aims to determine whether machine learning techniques based on the results of chemical analysis experiments can be rationally applied to evaluate the aging of various asphalt binders used throughout the country. METHODS : We conducted chemical experiments such as FT-IR, H-NMR, C- NMR, and GPC for the three-stage aging levels of eight types of asphalt binders used in the country and utilized two artificial neural network models to determine valid chemical experimentation and conditions for the use of neural modeling through predictions. RESULTS : The M-prop model, which combined the findings from each neural network model into a single artificial neural network model, demonstrated superior predictive performance compared with the M-base model, which assessed aging using two cluster layers. In addition, the minimum amount of data required to achieve 100% predictive accuracy for the target asphalt binders, regardless of the artificial neural network model, was 18, and the amount of training data decreased to less than 50%. CONCLUSIONS : The predictive accuracy of the aging of asphalt binders was significantly enhanced when GPC data was used, indicating that GPC should be prioritized in evaluating the aging of asphalt binders.