Valorisation of steel slag as aggregates for asphalt mixtures

Abstract

The construction industry is responsible for consuming significant amounts of raw material and causing severe environmental impacts. Natural aggregates are essential to build road pavements, and their extraction in nature causes several negative effects. Therefore, one way to reduce such impacts is to use recycled aggregates. In this work, two hot mix asphalts were studied, one incorporating 75% of steel slag, as aggregate substitutes, and an-other with 100% natural aggregates. Their mechanical performance was evaluated with permanent deformation and water sensitivity tests. The mixture incorporating steel slag showed higher resistance in both tests, proving that it is viable to use this waste material from the metallurgical industry as an alternative aggregate for producing asphalt mixtures, reducing the extraction of new materials and saving landfill space.