Research on High- and Low-Temperature Characteristics of Bitumen Blended with Waste Eggshell Powder

Abstract

The sustainability of resources is presently a major global concern. Sustainable construction materials can be produced by applying biological waste to engineering. Eggshells, as biological waste, are usually dumped in landfills or discarded. This causes many environmental problems including malodor, noise pollution, and serious waste of resources. To solve these problems, this study combined eggshell waste with bitumen materials for bio-roads construction. This paper investigated the impact of biological waste eggshell powder on the high- and low-temperature characteristics of bitumen materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the microstructure of eggshell powder. The interaction between eggshell powder and asphalt was analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The high- and low-temperature characteristics were investigated using conventional performance tests, and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and bending beam rheometer (BBR) experiments. These results indicate that eggshell powder (1) has a rough and porous microstructure; (2) has no apparent chemical reaction with asphalt; and (3) improves the consistency, hardness, and high-temperature characteristics. However, it reduces the plastic deformation capacity of asphalt, and the low-temperature crack resistance of asphalt cannot be improved. The research demonstrated that the application of eggshell powder in asphalt is feasible and has long-term resource and environmental advantages.