Laboratory and Field Experiences of Low Energy and Low Carbon-Dioxide Asphalt Pavement in Korea

A number of warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology has been developed to allow asphalt mixtures to be produced and compacted at a significantly lower temperature. This eco-friendly technology has been spread so quickly in the world. Recently, an innovative WMA additive has been developed to reduce mixing and paving temperatures applied in asphalt paving process by Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT) and Kumho Petrochemical in Korea. It is named low energy and low carbon-dioxide asphalt pavement (LEADCAP), which is an organic additive of a wax-based composition including crystal controller and artificial materials. In this study, WMA mixtures using LEADCAP additive along with the control hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures were evaluated with respect to their moisture susceptibility and rutting resistance in the laboratory. The WMA pavement using LEADCAP additive along with a conventional HMA pavement were evaluated with respect to their density and air void in the field trials. Based on the limited laboratory and field test results, WMA mixtures using LEADCAP additive is superior to HMA mixtures in the moisture susceptibility and rutting resistance. The LEADCAP additive is found effective in producing and compacting WMA mixtures that are comparable to HMA mixtures.