Evaluation of Waste Express Bag as a Novel Bitumen Modifier

Abstract

With the rapid development of China’s e-commerce and logistics industry, a large number of waste express bags (WEBs) have been produced, which are difficult to recycle. The existing methods of waste express bag disposal often cause severe environmental pollution. It was discovered in this paper that the use of WEBs to modify bitumen could be an environmentally friendly way to recycle WEBs. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using WEBs to modify bitumen and promote the performance of WEB-modified bitumen. In order to verify this assumption, a series of basic or rheological experiments were conducted on different dosages of WEB-modified bitumen. The test results and phenomenon showed that the WEBs could be used to modify the binder homogeneously by using a high-speed shearing machine. The basic experiments showed that the WEBs could decrease the penetration and ductility while increasing the softening point and the rotational viscosity. Additionally, the rheological experimental data indicated that the high temperature performance was improved while the low temperature performance stayed the same. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results demonstrated that modification of the WEB was a physical modification without chemical reaction and the main component of the modifier was polyethylene. The fluorescence microscope (FM) data revealed the micro-structures of different dosages of WEB-modified bitumen. In conclusion, WEB can be a feasible binder modifier.