Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Evaluating Effectiveness of Multi-Component Waste Plastic Bags on Bitumen Properties: Physical, Rheological, and Aging

Researchers characterized waste plastic bag samples dominated by low-density and linear low-density polyethylene and tested their performance as bitumen modifiers, finding they improved rutting resistance by one performance grade. The study evaluates a practical route for valorizing plastic waste in road construction materials.

2024 Polymers 9 citations
Article Tier 2

The use of polyethylene terephthalate waste as modifiers for bitumen systems

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste flakes were tested as a modifier for bitumen at various concentrations to improve road pavement performance. PET addition changed the rheological and mechanical properties of the bitumen, with certain concentrations improving resistance to deformation. Incorporating PET plastic waste into road materials offers a dual benefit of waste valorization and enhanced pavement durability.

2022 Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Composition Optimisation of Selected Waste Polymer-Modified Bitumen

This study examined how recycled polypropylene and polyethylene plastomers can be blended into bitumen for road paving, evaluating how mixing conditions affect the properties of the modified asphalt.

2022 Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Developing Sustainable Asphalt Mixtures Using High-Density Polyethylene Plastic Waste Material

Researchers evaluated asphalt mixtures incorporating high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic waste as a sustainable road pavement material, assessing whether recycled plastic can improve or maintain pavement performance while addressing plastic waste disposal.

2023 Sustainability 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of Asphalt Concrete Performance Using Waste Plastic Bottles (WPB) as a Sustainable Bitumen Modifier: A Comprehensive Rheological and Mechanical Assessment

Not relevant to microplastics — this study evaluates waste plastic bottles as a bitumen modifier to improve asphalt road performance, testing mechanical and thermal properties; it addresses plastic reuse in construction rather than environmental microplastic pollution.

2026 American Journal of Civil Engineering
Article Tier 2

Use of Waste Plastic as a Replacement for Bitumen in Road Construction

This review examines methods for incorporating waste plastic into road construction as an alternative to virgin bitumen and aggregates. Techniques like plastic-coated aggregates and plastic-modified bitumen improved road durability and weather resistance while diverting plastic from landfills. The approach offers a dual benefit of reducing plastic waste accumulation and decreasing the environmental impact of road construction.

2025 OCEM Journal of Management Technology & Social Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of the Mixing Process on the Rheological Properties of Waste PET-Modified Bitumen

Researchers analysed the rheological properties of waste PET-modified bitumen prepared under different mixing process conditions using a D-optimal factorial design with five experimental factors. The study identified how mixing temperature, time, and PET content interact to influence the viscoelastic behaviour and performance characteristics of the modified bitumen.

2023 Materials 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Waste Plastic to Roads – HDPE-modified Bitumen and PET Plastic Fibres for Road Maintenance in South Africa: A Review

This study evaluated waste plastic incorporation into road materials, testing HDPE-modified bitumen and PET plastic fibers as road material additives and assessing mechanical performance and durability compared to conventional asphalt.

2024 Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Polymers from Recycled Waste Plastics and Their Virgin Counterparts as Bitumen Modifiers: A Comprehensive Review

This review comprehensively examined the use of both recycled waste plastics and virgin polymers as bitumen modifiers for road pavements, evaluating how different polymer types improve pavement performance and service life.

2021 Polymers 102 citations
Article Tier 2

Study on recycled LLDPE modified asphalt using fluorescence microscopy and entropy-weight evaluation for process selection

Recycled linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) from agricultural mulch films was used as a modifier in asphalt, with fluorescence microscopy and entropy-weight evaluation used to optimize the incorporation process, offering a road construction approach that both recycles plastic waste and reduces microplastic release into soil.

2025 Construction and Building Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Review on the Use of Polyethylene Waste in Hot Mix Asphalt: Material Properties, Performance Enhancement, and Sustainability Perspectives

This review examines the use of low-density and high-density polyethylene waste as modifiers in hot mix asphalt, finding that PE incorporation can improve binder performance and pavement durability while diverting plastic waste from landfills. The authors assess material properties, environmental benefits, and economic considerations, positioning plastic-modified asphalt as a viable circular economy approach in road construction.

2025 Journal of Engineering
Article Tier 2

Utilization of Plastic Waste in Concrete Pavement

Researchers investigated the use of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic waste as an aggregate in concrete pavement mix designs, finding that incorporation of HDPE improved mechanical performance and durability while reducing landfill waste and energy consumption in the concrete sector.

2025 Processes
Article Tier 2

Effects of marine microplastics on the mechanical performance of bituminous binder for road asphalt pavements

Researchers investigated the effects of marine-sourced microplastics as additives in bituminous binders used for road asphalt pavements, finding that incorporating marine microplastics into bitumen improved mechanical road performance while simultaneously providing a recycling pathway for plastic waste collected from marine environments.

2025 Transportation research procedia
Article Tier 2

Engineering properties, microplastics and emissions assessment of recycled plastic modified asphalt mixtures

Researchers evaluated the mechanical performance and environmental impact of adding recycled low-density polyethylene and commingled plastics to hot-mix asphalt, finding reduced moisture resistance but also assessing microplastic release and emissions from these recycled plastic-modified road materials.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance and environmental impacts of waste plastic-modified asphalt pavement: a comprehensive review

This review examined recent research on using waste plastic to modify asphalt pavement and found that it generally improves road durability while reducing harmful emissions during production. However, challenges remain around plastic-bitumen compatibility and potential microplastic release during the pavement's lifetime, and the authors call for more standardized environmental assessments to ensure the approach is truly sustainable.

2025 Cleaner Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Plastic Waste on the Workability and Mechanical Behaviour of Asphalt Concrete

Researchers found that incorporating plastic waste into asphalt concrete using a dry process improved selected mechanical properties including stiffness and fatigue resistance in some formulations while maintaining acceptable workability, supporting plastic waste as a viable bitumen extender for road construction.

2022 Applied Sciences 35 citations
Review Tier 2

Waste Plastic in Road Construction, Pathway to a Sustainable Circular Economy: A Review

This review examines existing literature on incorporating waste plastic into road construction, finding that its inclusion can improve pavement performance and durability while offering a pathway to divert non-biodegradable plastic from landfills.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic-Mechanic Analysis and Rheological Modelling of Waste Face Mask Modified Bitumen

Researchers added waste face mask (WFM) material at concentrations of 1-3% to bitumen and characterized the rheological behavior of the modified bitumen using dynamic shear rheometer frequency sweep tests across multiple temperatures and loading rates. The study provided a detailed viscoelastic characterization of WFM-modified bitumen as a potential recycling pathway for the large volumes of disposable masks generated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2023 Turkish Journal of Civil Engineering 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Polymer-Modified and Plastic-Reinforced Asphalt: A Comprehensive Review of Performance, Rheology, and Sustainability

Researchers reviewed recent developments in polymer-modified and plastic-reinforced asphalt systems, synthesising findings on performance enhancement, rheological behaviour, and sustainability implications of incorporating recycled plastics and polymer modifiers into asphalt binders and mixtures.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Durability and Aging Characteristics of Sustainable Paving Mixture

Researchers incorporated shredded low-density polyethylene plastic waste into asphalt paving mixtures, testing the durability and aging characteristics of the resulting material. Reusing waste plastic in road construction is one approach to reducing the plastic that otherwise enters the environment and breaks down into microplastics.

2021 International Journal of Engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Natural Rubber Latex-Modified Concrete with PET and Crumb Rubber Aggregate Replacements for Sustainable Rigid Pavements

Researchers tested concrete mixes that replaced conventional aggregates with recycled PET plastic and crumb rubber waste, modified with natural rubber latex. The results show that waste plastic can be incorporated into road pavement concrete, offering a way to divert plastic waste from landfills while creating durable construction materials.

2023 Preprints.org 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance Evaluation of Marshall Mixed Asphalt Concrete-Binder Course (AC-BC) Using Modified LDPE Waste Asphalt with the Wet Method

This study tested adding Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic waste to road asphalt binder layers and found it improved pavement stability, with the best results at a 7% LDPE addition rate. While focused on road engineering rather than microplastic pollution, it is relevant because plastics incorporated into asphalt can fragment and shed tire-road microplastic particles into the environment over time.

2026 Jurnal Talenta Sipil
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Properties and Mechanisms of Waste Plastic/Rubber-Modified Asphalt

This engineering study investigated using a mixture of waste polyethylene plastic and recycled rubber tire material to modify road asphalt, improving its performance while diverting waste from landfills. The modified asphalt showed improved resistance to rutting and cracking. While not directly about microplastic health risks, using waste plastics in road construction could reduce the amount available to fragment into environmental microplastics.

2021 Coatings 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Recycling/reuse of plastic waste as construction material for sustainable development: a review

Researchers reviewed how waste plastic can be incorporated into construction materials — as binders, aggregates, or cement substitutes in bricks, tiles, concrete, and roads — finding that plastic-modified materials often show competitive strength properties while simultaneously diverting plastic waste from landfills.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 264 citations