Laboratory characterization of asphalt binders modified with waste vegetable oil using SuperPave specifications

Abstract

The goal of this study is to check the validity of using the waste vegetable oil as an additive to the asphalt cement, to be used later in the construction of flexible pavements. This will be considered as a proper and legal method of disposing this waste material. In this study, 1%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% of waste vegetable oil by volume of the asphalt cement were used. Several laboratory tests were performed on the original and waste vegetable oil-modified asphalt cements. It was found that choosing the appropriate amount of waste vegetable oil will improve most of the tested properties. Therefore, it can be concluded that using the suitable amount of waste vegetable oil as a cement modifier is feasible, and can be considered as a proper and legal method for disposing the waste vegetable oil.