{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132747"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132747","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Impact of waste plastics on asphalt concrete chemical and environmental characteristics","abstract":"Plastics are moldable organic polymers with desired mechanical properties, which could be useful for application in asphalt concrete (AC) pavements. The objective of this study was to repurpose waste plastics in AC pavement, quantify the impact on its potential performance, and the environment. Chemical-and rheological-based tests were conducted to understand the interaction between waste plastics and asphalt binders at various dosage levels. In addition, the effect of waste plastics on typical AC mixes was assessed using rutting, cracking potential, and moisture-induced damage. The leaching of waste plastic-modified AC was measured, and a comparative life-cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted. The study concluded that waste plastic may be incorporated into AC mixtures. However, binder and waste plastic must be compatible. An additive may be needed to control potential separation. When 3% LDPE is added in the wet process, the potential for AC rutting would be increased, while the cracking potential would be maintained. However, waste plastic-modified AC may not outperform the potential performance of SBS-modified AC. Leachate testing of waste plastic-modified AC revealed that concentrations of certain trace elements exceeded EPA enforcement levels. Leachate concentrations of antimony, arsenic, and cobalt exceeded regulatory limits, raising concerns related to blood pressure, skin irritation, and carcinogenicity. A cradle-to-grave comparative LCA results demonstrated that the environmental impacts of an AC mix incorporating recycled plastics are highly dependent on the method of incorporation of waste plastics. However, the availability and quality of data are important. Further studies are needed to optimize the LDPE dosage in AC in the wet process and other waste plastics may be considered. In addition, an extensive leaching framework is recommended, incorporating percolation column tests and pH-dependent leaching protocols to better assess long-term environmental risks of waste-plastic AC.","abstract_html":"Plastics are moldable organic polymers with desired mechanical properties, which could be useful for application in asphalt concrete (AC) pavements. The objective of this study was to repurpose waste plastics in AC pavement, quantify the impact on its potential performance, and the environment. Chemical-and rheological-based tests were conducted to understand the interaction between waste plastics and asphalt binders at various dosage levels. In addition, the effect of waste plastics on typical AC mixes was assessed using rutting, cracking potential, and moisture-induced damage. The leaching of waste plastic-modified AC was measured, and a comparative life-cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted. The study concluded that waste plastic may be incorporated into AC mixtures. However, binder and waste plastic must be compatible. An additive may be needed to control potential separation. When 3% LDPE is added in the wet process, the potential for AC rutting would be increased, while the cracking potential would be maintained. However, waste plastic-modified AC may not outperform the potential performance of SBS-modified AC. Leachate testing of waste plastic-modified AC revealed that concentrations of certain trace elements exceeded EPA enforcement levels. Leachate concentrations of antimony, arsenic, and cobalt exceeded regulatory limits, raising concerns related to blood pressure, skin irritation, and carcinogenicity. A cradle-to-grave comparative LCA results demonstrated that the environmental impacts of an AC mix incorporating recycled plastics are highly dependent on the method of incorporation of waste plastics. However, the availability and quality of data are important. Further studies are needed to optimize the LDPE dosage in AC in the wet process and other waste plastics may be considered. In addition, an extensive leaching framework is recommended, incorporating percolation column tests and pH-dependent leaching protocols to better assess long-term environmental risks of waste-plastic AC.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Alhadidi, Yusra Ibrahim Ali"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Civil Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Al-Qadi, Imad L.","Roesler, Jeffery R.","Hajj, Ramez M.","Rogers, Simon A.","Sharma, BK L."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12","date_published":"2025-12","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z","subjects":["waste plastics","FTIR","GPC","CHNS","IFIT","HWTT","IDT","leaching","and LCA"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Yusra Alhadidi"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132747","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Al-Qadi, Imad L.","Roesler, Jeffery R.","Hajj, Ramez M.","Rogers, Simon A.","Sharma, BK L."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Alhadidi, Yusra Ibrahim Ali"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-12","2025-10-20"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Civil Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["waste plastics","FTIR","GPC","CHNS","IFIT","HWTT","IDT","leaching","and LCA"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Yusra Alhadidi"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132747"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Plastics are moldable organic polymers with desired mechanical properties, which could be useful for application in asphalt concrete (AC) pavements. The objective of this study was to repurpose waste plastics in AC pavement, quantify the impact on its potential performance, and the environment. Chemical-and rheological-based tests were conducted to understand the interaction between waste plastics and asphalt binders at various dosage levels. In addition, the effect of waste plastics on typical AC mixes was assessed using rutting, cracking potential, and moisture-induced damage. The leaching of waste plastic-modified AC was measured, and a comparative life-cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted. The study concluded that waste plastic may be incorporated into AC mixtures. However, binder and waste plastic must be compatible. An additive may be needed to control potential separation. When 3% LDPE is added in the wet process, the potential for AC rutting would be increased, while the cracking potential would be maintained. However, waste plastic-modified AC may not outperform the potential performance of SBS-modified AC. Leachate testing of waste plastic-modified AC revealed that concentrations of certain trace elements exceeded EPA enforcement levels. Leachate concentrations of antimony, arsenic, and cobalt exceeded regulatory limits, raising concerns related to blood pressure, skin irritation, and carcinogenicity. A cradle-to-grave comparative LCA results demonstrated that the environmental impacts of an AC mix incorporating recycled plastics are highly dependent on the method of incorporation of waste plastics. However, the availability and quality of data are important. Further studies are needed to optimize the LDPE dosage in AC in the wet process and other waste plastics may be considered. In addition, an extensive leaching framework is recommended, incorporating percolation column tests and pH-dependent leaching protocols to better assess long-term environmental risks of waste-plastic AC.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2027-12-01","The student, Yusra Alhadidi, accepted the attached license on 2025-10-16 at 09:39.","The student, Yusra Alhadidi, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-10-16 at 10:07.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-10-20 at 14:19.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22825 on 2026-02-19 at 20:08:33"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Impact of waste plastics on asphalt concrete chemical and environmental characteristics"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Al-Qadi, Imad L.","Roesler, Jeffery R.","Hajj, Ramez M.","Rogers, Simon A.","Sharma, BK L."],"dc:creator":["Alhadidi, Yusra Ibrahim Ali"],"dc:date":["2025-12","2025-10-20"],"dc:description":["Plastics are moldable organic polymers with desired mechanical properties, which could be useful for application in asphalt concrete (AC) pavements. The objective of this study was to repurpose waste plastics in AC pavement, quantify the impact on its potential performance, and the environment. Chemical-and rheological-based tests were conducted to understand the interaction between waste plastics and asphalt binders at various dosage levels. In addition, the effect of waste plastics on typical AC mixes was assessed using rutting, cracking potential, and moisture-induced damage. The leaching of waste plastic-modified AC was measured, and a comparative life-cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted. The study concluded that waste plastic may be incorporated into AC mixtures. However, binder and waste plastic must be compatible. An additive may be needed to control potential separation. When 3% LDPE is added in the wet process, the potential for AC rutting would be increased, while the cracking potential would be maintained. However, waste plastic-modified AC may not outperform the potential performance of SBS-modified AC. Leachate testing of waste plastic-modified AC revealed that concentrations of certain trace elements exceeded EPA enforcement levels. Leachate concentrations of antimony, arsenic, and cobalt exceeded regulatory limits, raising concerns related to blood pressure, skin irritation, and carcinogenicity. A cradle-to-grave comparative LCA results demonstrated that the environmental impacts of an AC mix incorporating recycled plastics are highly dependent on the method of incorporation of waste plastics. However, the availability and quality of data are important. Further studies are needed to optimize the LDPE dosage in AC in the wet process and other waste plastics may be considered. In addition, an extensive leaching framework is recommended, incorporating percolation column tests and pH-dependent leaching protocols to better assess long-term environmental risks of waste-plastic AC.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2027-12-01","The student, Yusra Alhadidi, accepted the attached license on 2025-10-16 at 09:39.","The student, Yusra Alhadidi, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-10-16 at 10:07.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-10-20 at 14:19.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22825 on 2026-02-19 at 20:08:33"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132747"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Yusra Alhadidi"],"dc:subject":["waste plastics","FTIR","GPC","CHNS","IFIT","HWTT","IDT","leaching","and LCA"],"dc:title":["Impact of waste plastics on asphalt concrete chemical and environmental characteristics"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Civil Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z"}