Analysis of cleaner technologies based on waxes and surfactant additives in road construction

The manufacture of hot mix asphalt for road construction is associated with a high consumption of fossil fuels and a high level of emissions. The use of temperature reduction technologies in the manufacture of warm mix asphalts favors a cleaner production of such materials, and therefore its use has become a major objective in the field of road engineering. Thus, during the last few years different types of techniques are appearing in order to achieve this objective. This article presents the comparison established in terms of mechanical performance of three processes of temperature reduction technologies in order to select one of them for its manufacture in plant, where control of emissions and fuel consumption have been collected. The results showed that the use of warm mix asphalt technologies with waxes or surfactant additives may not incur in a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties of the pavement. The use of surfactant bitumen in plant is possible to produce warm mix asphalts, reducing the consumption of fuel in the process. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.