Rheological behaviour of modified binders for different loading conditions and temperatures: a case of using pig tallow and crumb rubber from end-of-life tyres

Abstract

This study investigates alternatives to Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) polymer in asphalt mixtures by evaluating End-Of-Life tire (ELT) crumb rubber (CR) and fatty acid amide wax (FAA) derived from pig tallow. The research focuses on triple modification of binders with SBS, ELT and FAA to improve performance and reuse waste and industrial by-products in an economical and environmentally responsible manner. The results show that the incorporation of ELT and FAA significantly reduces the SBS content, achieving a 73 % improvement in elastic performance according to Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR) tests. In addition, this combination improves peak stress and fatigue life in Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS) tests, demonstrating potential benefits in asphalt mixtures. The study concludes that the combination of pig tallow and end-of-life tire materials doubles the yield energy (Yield Energy of Asphalt Binders, BYET) compared to samples with higher SBS content. In particular, a modification with 6 % CR, 3 % SBS and 2 % FAA doubles the toughness (Er) of a binder with 5 % SBS. This contributes to higher tensile strength in asphalt mixtures, promoting sustainability and efficiency in the road construction industry. This study provides a deeper understanding of how the combination of ELT, FAA and SBS can optimize the properties of asphalt mixtures, highlighting the potential of these additives to improve performance, reduce costs and minimize environmental impact.