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When Physical Chemistry Meets Circular Economy to Solve Environmental Issues: How the ReScA Project Aims at Using Waste Pyrolysis Products to Improve and Rejuvenate Bitumens

Author

Listed:
  • Paolino Caputo

    (Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

  • Pietro Calandra

    (National Research Council, Institute of Nanostructured Materials (CNR-ISMN), 00015 Monterotondo, Italy)

  • Valeria Loise

    (Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

  • Adolfo Le Pera

    (Calabra Maceri e Servizi S.p.A. Via M. Polo, 87036 Rende, Italy)

  • Ana-Maria Putz

    (“Coriolan Drăgulescu” Institute of Chemistry, Romanian Academy, 24 Mihai Viteazu Bvd., 300223 Timisoara, Romania)

  • Abraham A. Abe

    (Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

  • Luigi Madeo

    (Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

  • Bagdat Teltayev

    (Kazakhstan Highway Research Institute, Almaty 050061, Kazakhstan)

  • Maria Laura Luprano

    (Regional Agency for the Environmental Protection—ARPA Lazio, 00187 Rome, Italy)

  • Michela Alfè

    (National Research Council, Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (CNR–STEMS), 80125 Napoli, Italy)

  • Valentina Gargiulo

    (National Research Council, Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (CNR–STEMS), 80125 Napoli, Italy)

  • Giovanna Ruoppolo

    (National Research Council, Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (CNR–STEMS), 80125 Napoli, Italy)

  • Cesare Oliviero Rossi

    (Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

Abstract

Urban waste management is a hard task: more than 30% of the world’s total production of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) is not adequately handled, with landfilling remaining as a common practice. Another source of wastes is the road pavement industry: with a service life of about 10–15 years, asphalts become stiff, susceptible to cracks, and therefore no longer adapted for road paving, so they become wastes. To simultaneously solve these problems, a circular economy-based approach is proposed by the ReScA project, suggesting the use of pyrolysis to treat MSW (or its fractions as Refuse Derived Fuels, RDFs), whose residues (oil and char) can be used as added-value ingredients for the asphalt cycle. Char can be used to prepare better performing and durable asphalts, and oil can be used to regenerate exhaust asphalts, avoiding their landfilling. The proposed approach provides a different and more useful pathway in the end-of-waste (EoW) cycle of urban wastes. This proof of concept is suggested by the following two observations: (i) char is made up by carbonaceous particles highly compatible with the organic nature of bitumens, so its addition can reinforce the overall bitumen structure, increasing its mechanical properties and slowing down the molecular kinetics of its aging process; (ii) oil is rich in hydrocarbons, so it can enrich the poor fraction of the maltene phase in exhaust asphalts. These hypotheses have been proved by testing the residues derived from the pyrolysis of RDFs for the improvement of mechanical characteristics of a representative bitumen sample and its regeneration after aging. The proposed approach is suggested by the physico-chemical study of the materials involved, and aims to show how the chemical knowledge of complex systems, like bituminous materials, can help in solving environmental issues. We hope that this approach will be considered as a model method for the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Paolino Caputo & Pietro Calandra & Valeria Loise & Adolfo Le Pera & Ana-Maria Putz & Abraham A. Abe & Luigi Madeo & Bagdat Teltayev & Maria Laura Luprano & Michela Alfè & Valentina Gargiulo & Giovanna, 2022. "When Physical Chemistry Meets Circular Economy to Solve Environmental Issues: How the ReScA Project Aims at Using Waste Pyrolysis Products to Improve and Rejuvenate Bitumens," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:10:p:5790-:d:812752
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paweł Stępień & Małgorzata Serowik & Jacek A. Koziel & Andrzej Białowiec, 2019. "Waste to Carbon: Estimating the Energy Demand for Production of Carbonized Refuse-Derived Fuel," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Abhinay Kumar & Rajan Choudhary & Ankush Kumar, 2021. "Characterization of thermal storage stability of waste plastic pyrolytic char modified asphalt binders with sulfur," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-27, March.
    3. Jeffrey Morris, 2017. "Recycle, Bury, or Burn Wood Waste Biomass?: LCA Answer Depends on Carbon Accounting, Emissions Controls, Displaced Fuels, and Impact Costs," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(4), pages 844-856, August.
    4. Chiu, Chui-Te & Hsu, Tseng-Hsing & Yang, Wan-Fa, 2008. "Life cycle assessment on using recycled materials for rehabilitating asphalt pavements," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 545-556.
    5. Hamid Rezaei & Fahimeh Yazdan Panah & C. Jim Lim & Shahab Sokhansanj, 2020. "Pelletization of Refuse-Derived Fuel with Varying Compositions of Plastic, Paper, Organic and Wood," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-11, June.
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