Study of the optimal dosage of celullose ash as a contribution filler in asphalt mixtures based on its adhesiveness under moisture conditions

Abstract

Chile is the first Latin American country to begin an “ecological overdraft”, as established by the Global Footprint Network (GFN). This implies that the country’s ecological footprint has exceeded the global average bio-capacity. The consumption of natural aggregates for construction in Chile has grown by around 6.6% in the last year, with around 120 million tons being extracted. Given the above, it is important to seek alternatives that help to minimize the problem of resource scarcity, as well as the recovery of industrial by-products and/or waste. The Chilean forestry sector has also grown in recent years, generating approximately 4000 metric tons of waste in 2018, which was deposited in landfills or disposed of on forest roads. The present research is focused on the reuse and possible recovery of ash from the incineration of cellulose as a filler in bituminous mixtures. We analyze the adhesiveness of the filler/bitumen system in dry and wet states, based on the Cantabro wear loss test. The results obtained show that the limit of the relation between the volumetric concentration and critical concentration (Cv/Cs) is 1 for the addition of ash and that concentrations lower than or equal to this value present controlled losses, with 1.00 being the optimal (Cv/Cs) ratio that allows better behavior against the effect of water.