Project description

Reuse of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in the production of recycled asphalt mixtures.

RAP is obtained by milling pavements in poor condition. It is a material rich in bitumen and aggregates. More than 60 million tons are generated each year in Europe. Therefore, its reuse in the manufacture of new asphalt mixes is a solution and is in line with current guidelines and regulations that prioritize the circular economy and the reduction of the carbon footprint of construction materials. Likewise, production costs are reduced by reducing the need to purchase new aggregates and binders. However, the use of this material is still limited by parameters such as the aging that characterizes it, its processing prior to reuse, storage conditions, and the process of mixing with aggregates and virgin binder in industrial plants for manufacturing asphalt mixtures. The proposed project will work both on the basic and in-depth investigation of the phenomena involved, as well as on their practical application for the optimization of all the parameters involved in the quality of new recycled asphalt mixes.

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group

Within the Department of Transport Engineering, Territory and Urban Planning, the Road Engineering R&D Group carries out its research activity. In recent years it has presented a strong research activity in virtually all areas of road engineering, generating dozens of publications and several doctoral theses. Some of the issues that the group has addressed in the area of asphalt materials is the valorization of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in the manufacture of new asphalt mixtures. The Group has an asphalt materials laboratory with the appropriate equipment for this type of studies.

https://www.upm.es/observatorio/vi/index.jsp?pageac=estructuras/grupo.jsp&idGrupo=365&h=1

Documents to be submitted

CV

Letter of motivation

Deadline: 30/04/2025