Recycled Materials in Geotechnical and Pavement Applications

This book considers the application of recycled materials both in pavement and geotechnical engineering. Currently, Australia has faced the fundamental concern of recycling waste plastic. On 1 January 2018, China enforced a prohibition on the importation of waste plastic. China's ban is followed by other countries like India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The ban caused many corporations to abandon waste collection agreements, and the stockpiling of waste, as there is nowhere to safely deposit this waste. This issue seems, to a great extent, to have placed Australia's recycling industry in a crisis. As a result, local councils will have to find strategic ways of recycling accumulated waste that will become a more significant issue in the coming years. In Australia, apart from economic growth, the road pavement has weakened rapidly as the current pavement unable to withstand this urgent traffic load demand. The adding of polymers to the mixtures improves the stiffness, rutting resistance,and fatigue cracking [1]. However, the application of virgin polymer is costly. Thus, using waste polymer such as waste plastic polymer is an inexpensive substitute. The potential for recycled plastic to improve the performance properties of asphalt mixtures has been demonstrated in many countries the UK, Canada, The Netherlands, and India [2]. Similarly, another application of recycled materials can be in geotechnical infrastructure. This book considers the application of recycled materials both in pavement and geotechnical engineering.

References 

[1] Airey, G.D., Singleton, T.M., & Collop, A.C.(2002). Properties of polymer modified bitumen after rubber- bitumen interaction. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering .14(4), 344- 354.

[2] K. O'Farrell. Australian Plastics Recycling Survey- National Report. 

Australian Government, Department of Environment and Energy, Australia. Project reference,2018 A21502.

Dr. Amin Chegenizadeh

He is affiliated with Civil Engineering Department, Curtin University, Australia. His research interests reflect in his publications in various national and international reputed journals. He is Editorial Board Member of professional associations, apart from being an author for many books and articles. He is active in the area of geotechnical and pavement engineering. He has a good track record of using waste in infrastructure.

Some of his achievements are:

• Co-establishing a substantial and advanced research infrastructure for optimum engineering uses of industrial by-products as useful engineering materials.

• Co-establishing the Pavement and Geotechnical Research Group for implementation of pavement and geotechnical research based on industry needs.

• Undertaking fundamental and applied research to advance knowledge and technology in the area of sustainable use of industrial by-products.

Emeritus Professor Hamid Nikraz

Over the past many years of involvement in research at Curtin University, he has made efforts to attract the highest quality students to achieve strategic R&D initiatives. This currently includes leading 10 research teams with a total of 74 research students and fellows. His research interests span soil stabilisation, pavement design and construction and waste management. His efforts have directly contributed to the pre-eminent research profile of the Department of Civil Engineering at Curtin University in these areas, attracting national and international collaborators from both academia and industry. His research has directly led to initiation of civil engineering projects totalling almost $3.5M. He has received support from the Western Australian Mining and Petroleum Research Institute (WAMPRI), the Cooperative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development (CCSD), the Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing (CSRP) and the WA Innovation Scheme (WAISS). This is in addition to establishing a network of industrial sponsors such as Main Roads, Alcoa, Boral and Rocla. His successful grant applications are over $5.5M.