Selection of recycled waste plastic for incorporation in sustainable asphalt pavements: A novel multi-criteria screening tool based on 31 sources of plastic

This study investigated the suitability of 31 recycled waste plastic samples obtained from 15 major recycling companies across Australia and New Zealand to be used as bitumen/asphalt modifiers. The plastics have been selected to be representative of recycled waste plastic around Australia and New Zealand. The recycled waste plastics belonged to either the post-industrial or post-consumer collection scheme. A new classification scheme was developed to rank each recycled waste plastic based on their chemical and physical properties against those of bitumen/asphalt. Specifically, density, polarity, melting point, solubility and melt flow index of the samples as well as the presence of contaminants, fillers and additives were analyzed for each recycled waste plastic material and their virgin counterpart. These 8 properties were used to rank various sources of recycled low-density poly(ethylene), linear low-density poly(ethylene), high density poly(ethylene) and poly(propylene) in addition to commingled plastics based on their suitability for bitumen modification (wet method). The modification of asphalt via replacement of virgin quarry aggregate with plastic aggregate (dry method) by recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and poly(ethylene terephthalate) was also assessed by considering four criteria of purity, polarity, recycling contamination and hazardous additives. This new multi-criterion ranking approach revealed that low-density and linear low-density poly(ethylene) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and poly(ethylene terephthalate) should be preferentially used as bitumen/asphalt modifiers. This tool has been developed for recycling companies and bitumen/asphalt contractors to determine the suitability of recycled waste plastics within asphalt roads by a series of experimental techniques. [Display omitted] •A ranking criterion was developed to identify suitable recycled plastics for roads.•Recycled LDPE has the highest predicted affinity with bitumen as polymer modifier.•Recycled ABS has the highest predicted affinity with asphalt as aggregate replacement.•The composition of commingled plastics impacts their affinity with bitumen.•The screening tool can be used to characterise recycled plastics for roads construction.