Many waste materials can be repurposed effectively within asphalt concrete to enhance the performance and sustainability of pavement. One of these waste materials is sawdust ash (SDA). This study explores the beneficial use of SDA as a substitute for limestone dust (LD) mineral filler in asphalt concrete. The replacement rate was 0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60% by weight of total mineral filler. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to assess the surface morphology of Sawdust (SD), SDA, and LD. In addition, a series of tests, including Marshall stability and flow, indirect tensile strength,moisture susceptibility, and repeated uniaxial loading tests, were conducted to examine the performance characteristics of asphalt mixtures of different SDA content. As per Marshall mix design, a slightly higher binder content was required for the preparation of SDA mixes. The results reveal that the asphalt mixtures prepared using SDA attain a tensile strength ratio (TSR) greater than the critical threshold, i.e., 80%, indicating the feasibility of SDA against moisture- induced damage. The highest TSR value of 87% was obtained using 45% SDA as a replacement for LD. Compared to 0% SDA, there is a reduction of 12.08% in permanent deformation for asphalt mixtures produced with 60% SDA. Also, as the SDA content increases, there is a slight improvement in the resilient modulus values, with a peak improvement of 3% at 60% SDA. In addition, the cost of producing SDA mixes was relatively lower than the control mixes, indicating the cost-effectiveness of using SDA. Overall, the study found that SDA is a promising material that can improve the performance and durability of asphalt concrete at lower production costs.
The integration of nanomaterials in asphalt modification has emerged as a promising approach to enhance the performance of asphalt pavements, particularly under high-temperature conditions. Nanomaterials, due to their unique properties such as high surface area, exceptional mechanical strength, and thermal stability, offer significant improvements in the rheological properties, durability, and resistance to deformation of asphalt binders. This research reviewed the application of various nanomaterials, including nano silica, nano alumina, nano titanium, nano zinc, and carbon nanotubes in asphalt modification. The incorporation of these nanomaterials into asphalt mixtures has shown potential to increase the stiffness and high-tempera
... Show MoreEnglish has for long been one of the most widely used media of communication globally, especially in the Malaysian universities. It has been termed as a Lingua Franca because it is shared with other languages which are considered first languages by different speakers. For this reason, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has attracted a number of researchers to investigate its variety via other languages in various communities. The objective of this paper is therefore to establish the strategies which are employing by the international students at the National University of Malaysia/ UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) as an example of one of the Malaysian universities; when they e
... Show MoreIn the present study, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were prepared using a simple low cost method synthesized cold plasma at different exposure time . The nanoparticles were characterized using UV-Visible spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD). The prepared AuNPs showed surface Plasmon resonance centered at 530, 540,and 533 nm. The XRD pattern showed that the strong intense peaks indicate crystalline nature and face centered cubic structure of gold nanoparticles for all samples were prepared .The average crystallite size of the AuNPs was 20-40 nm. Morphology of the AuNPs were carried out using FESEM. Observations show that the AuNPs synthesized we well dispersed with and particle sizes ranging from 9 to 31 nm with spherical shapes which are cle
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In past years, structural pavement solution has been combined with destructive testing; these destructive methods are being replaced by non-destructive testing methods (NDT). Because the destructive test causes damage due to coring conducted for testing and also the difficulty of adequately repairing the core position in the field. Ultrasonic pulse velocity was used to evaluate the strength and volumetric properties of asphalt concrete, of binder course. The impact of moisture damage and testing temperature on pulse velocity has also been studied. Data were analyzed and modeled. It was found that using non-destructive testing represented by pulse velocity could be useful to predict the quality of asphalt c
... Show MoreIn recent years, the search for economic and environmentally friendly alternatives has become a global necessity to achieve sustainability and preserve raw materials. From this concept, natural bitumen (NB) derived from sulphur springs is now one of the most promising alternative energy resources for many applications, especially in asphalt pavement construction. Its low price and abundance characterise NB since sulphur springs produce thousands of tonnes of NB annually and are used in very limited fields. Two main objectives were adopted for this work. The first objective is to examine the virgin NB properties from five sulphur springs and compare them with petroleum asphalt. The second objective is to enhance NB properties by appl
... Show MoreThe subgrade soil is the foundation plate form of the roadway; it should sustain its structural characteristics throughout the design life of the roadway with minimal requirements for maintenance. When Gypseous soil is implemented in the construction of subgrade, problems regarding collapsibility and poor structural capacity usually occur when the subgrade came in touch with excess water. Asphalt stabilization could furnish a proper solution to such problems. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to monitor the variations in compressibility characteristics of asphalt stabilized subgrade soil subjected to 30 cycles of (freezing-thawing) and (heating-cooling). Data have been observed after each 10 cycles, and compared with that of r
... Show MoreIn this study, sawdust as a cheap method and abundant raw material was utilized to produce active carbon (SDAC). Physiochemical activation was utilized where potassium hydroxide used as a chemical activating agent and carbon dioxide was used as a physical activating agent. Taguchi method of experimental design was used to find the optimum conditions of SDAC production. The produced SDAC was characterized using SEM to investigate surface morphology and BET to estimate the specific surface area. SDAC was used in aqueous lead ions adsorption. Adsorption process was modeled statistically and represented by an empirical model. The highest specific surface area of SDAC was 688.3 m2/gm. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used to
... Show MoreIn the present work a modification was made on three equations to represent the
experiment data which results for Iraqi petroleum and natural asphalt. The equations
have been developed for estimating the chemical composition and physical properties
of asphalt cement at different temperature and aging time. The standard deviations of
all equations were calculated.
The modified correlation related to the aging time and temperature with penetration
index and durability index of aged petroleum and natural asphalts were developed.
The first equation represents the relationship between the durability index with aging
time and temperature.
loge(DI)=a1+0.0123(2loge T
... Show MoreWe report here an innovative feature of green nanotechnology-focused work showing that mangiferin—a glucose functionalized xanthonoid, found in abundance in mango peels—serves dual roles of chemical reduction and in situ encapsulation, to produce gold nanoparticles with optimum in vivo stability and tumor specific characteristics. The interaction of mangiferin with a Au-198 gold precursor affords MGF-198AuNPs as the beta emissions of Au-198 provide unique advantages for tumor therapy while gamma rays are used for the quantitative estimation of gold within the tumors and various organs. The laminin receptor specificity of mangiferin affords specific accumulation of therapeutic payloads of this new therapeutic agent within prostate tumors
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