Laboratory investigation on added-value application of the COVID-19 disposable mask in hot mix asphalt (HMA)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160243Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Added-value application of the COVID-19 disposable mask in hot mix asphalt (HMA) was investigated.

  • Waste cooking oil (WCO) was introduced to improve the ductility of mask fiber (MF) modified asphalt.

  • The physical-rheological property tests were performed to screen out the best combination of WF + WCO.

  • The composite modified asphalt of MF5% + WCO3% was identified as the best combination.

  • The HMA performance evaluation tests were performed to validate the modification efficiency.

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated the demand for disposable masks to an unprecedented level, which also poses a significant risk to the natural environment from the improper treatment or disposal of waste masks. To lower such an environmental risk and maximize the added value of the waste masks, this paper proposed to recycle the waste mask fiber (MF) in combination with the waste cooking oil (WCO) for hot mix asphalt (HMA) application. A series of MF + WCO modified asphalt binders were first designed and fabricated. Their performance properties were then systematically measured. The physical-rheological test results showed that the incorporation of MF can significantly improve the high-temperature rutting resistance performance of asphalt binder. However, it may also lower the asphalt's low-temperature anti-cracking performance. The addition of WCO was found to compensate for this low-temperature performance loss effectively, and the MF5% + WCO3% was identified as the best combination. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy test results revealed that the asphalt modified by the MF + WCO involved only a physical modification. The performance test results indicated that the high-temperature permanent deformation resistance and low-temperature anti-cracking of MF5% + WCO3% modified HMA was greatly enhanced, while its moisture stability was slightly reduced but still met the specification requirement. The environmental benefit assessments proved that recycling the waste masks for asphalt paving can provide an enormous added value to pavement engineering in terms of carbon emission reduction and land resource saving.

Graphical abstract

The recycling and reusing of the COVID-19 disposable mask in hot mix asphalt.

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Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic
Ecological threat
Asphalt pavement
Waste mask
Waste cooking oil

Data availability

Data will be made available on request.

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