Engineering and Environmental Assessment of Recycled Construction and Demolition Materials Used with Geotextile for Permeable Pavements

Abstract

This paper describes laboratory testing to investigate the suitability of recycled construction and demolition (C&D) materials as alternative subbase materials for permeable pavements. Permeable pavements are increasingly being used as urban stormwater management systems. Three commonly found recycled C&D waste materials, crushed brick (CB), recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), were investigated to assess their suitability as permeable pavement subbase materials. Geotextile was also used in this research to trap pollutants. The laboratory tests included basic physical characterization such as particle size distribution, specific gravity, water absorption, Los Angeles abrasion, California Bearing Ratio (CBR), and modified Proctor compaction tests. In addition, hydraulic conductivity tests were undertaken in a laboratory test setup with different influent suspension percentages and moisture contents. Temporal variations of effluent suspension percentages were investigated to assess clogging effects. It was found that the geotextile layer did not have any effect in terms of permeability of the C&D materials. The chemical assessment included organic content, pH value, trace element, and leachate concentration for a range of contaminant constituents and compared with maximum allowable limits in soil and natural water as well as with the environmental protection authorities’ requirements. In terms of geotechnical and chemical assessment for permeable pavement applications, RCA was found to be a suitable alternative construction material for permeable pavements, while CB was borderline and RAP did not meet some of the specified requirements.