Asphalt concrete surfacing is the most common road surfacing in the world due to its quiet, traffic-safe and operational properties. More than 90% of the total road network in Europe and 94% in the US is paved. According to the latest data from the European Asphalt Coverage Association (EAPA), total asphalt production in Europe was 279 million tonnes per year in 2022, compared to 392 million tonnes in the US. Such volumes have a significant impact on financial resources, the environment and the depletion of fossil resources. The longevity of asphalt concrete is mainly influenced by the transport load and climate. Climate change poses new challenges to asphalt cover. At present, the most significant risk identified is related to temperature changes – longer heat waves that accelerate bitumen aging. The aging of the bituminous binder leads to the formation of microcracks, which in turn reduces driving comfort, traffic safety and requires further investment in road resurfacing. In addition, each reconstruction has an impact on the environment (global warming potential, depletion of raw materials, etc.). Although asphalt concrete has been used for more than 100 years, the issue of the longevity of this material is more relevant than ever in relation to the sustainability objectives of the European Union (EU), in particular with regard to the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG). Asphalt concrete screeds can deliver life-cycle GHG savings. Developing new and advanced materials and technologies for road surfaces is necessary to create and maintain a road network with a lower GHG impact. One such promising technology is the development of a multifunctional bitumen modifier using waste materials such as end-of-life tyre rubber, polymers and lignin, which is a by-product of woodworking.The research project will involve 2 industry partners with extensive knowledge and experience in their specific fields of activity, thus making a major contribution to the successful project.The research will focus on the development of a multifunctional bitumen modifier from DWTR, polymers (polypropylene (PE) or/and polyethylene (PP)) and lignin (L) using innovative reactive dose-canning technology. This activity will be carried out by RTU in cooperation with SIA Rubbintec, which is one of the two partners of this project. Air Glass Ceramics Ltd. offers a unique WTR processing technology that performs dosing decantation using a selective catalyst, which allows selective splitting of sulphide bonds at relatively low temperatures, preserving most macromolecular chains. This technology combines chemical and thermomechanical dosing (reactive extrusion) using a two-screw extruder at much lower temperatures (350-500°C), retaining a large amount of original double bonds located in the WTR. The resulting DWTR is intended for use both as a bitumen modifier and can also be used in the manufacture of new rubber products. The main component of the reactive dosing process is the combination of a selective catalyst and a compatibility agent. The catalyst is designed to break the sulphide ties, while the compatibility agent helps it penetrate the rubber chips. The function of the second catalyst is its assistance in the "grafting" of WTR to other polymers and organic components. This technology will be introduced in this project to develop an innovative multifunctional bitumen modifier.The new dosing-canning technology, using reactive extrusion, will allow to realize the joining and merging of these materials into one modifier (multifunctional modifier), where each component of this modifier will make a significant contribution to the improvement of bitumen properties at high, low operating temperatures, improve antioxidation properties, as well as serve as a partial substitute for bitumen. This solution will extend the life of the asphalt paving, thus reducing the short- and long-term environmental impact and costs.Then the development of high-performance asphalt concrete compositions will be carried out using the developed modifiers DWRPEL (devulcanized WTR + PE + lignin) and/or DWRPPL (devulcanized WTR + PP + lignin) with dry modification methods. In parallel, bitumen will be modified with DWRPEL/DWRPPL using the wet method and then used in asphalt concrete compositions to assess the ability of the developed modifier to modify bitumen in the ‘fast’ dry methods and the ‘slow’ wet method. Based on the properties of asphalt concrete modified by DWRPEL/DWRPPL, life cycle analysis (LCA) and (LLCA) will be performed compared to traditional solutions. This activity will be carried out in cooperation with SIA Vianova, which is the second partner of the project.Finally, a full-scale experimental phase will be built by SIA Vianova, which has appropriate and modern industrial equipment (asphalt concrete batch plant, road construction machinery), asphalt concrete raw materials, a modern laboratory, as well as long-term research experience. participating in s
