Incorporation of Waste Plastic in Bituminous Mixes for DBM Layer

Abstract

Proper Management of Plastic waste is necessary for improving aesthetics of the environment. This study is focused on finding the effective use of plastic waste in bituminous mixes. Different proportions of shredded plastic are mixed at a percentage of 3%, 6%, 9% and 12% in bitumen binder and coated on aggregates in a percentage of with fly ash as a filler material using dry and wet process. Marshal stability Analysis is done for DBM mix having bitumen content lying between 4.5-6% at an increasing rate of 0.25% in order to find its compatibility in the field. A comparison has been made between the plastic-coated aggregates and conventional aggregates. This experimental study shows optimum plastic content of 6% and 9% using wet process and dry process respectively with 2 % of fly ash as filler instead of using conventional cement gives better results than the traditional bituminous mix. It is also determined that maximum 9% of bitumen can be replaced by plastic giving 40% higher stability value than the conventional bituminous mixes. Subsequently, the use of plastic waste and fly ash in road construction will be economical and create a sound environment.