Potential Use of Carbon Waste Material in Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) Mixtures

Power Plant carbon waste materials have become a large environmental concern in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In this study, research is carried out to investigate the potential use of Rabigh Power Plant carbon waste materials as a mineral filler to improve the performance of Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) paving mixture. This study has been conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the Carbon Stone Matrix Asphalt (CSMA) paving mixture was designed. The focus in this phase was on selecting the appropriate amount of carbon waste materials that satisfy the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Transportation (MOT) mix design criteria for SMA. In the second part of the study, the engineering properties of the CSMA paving mixtures were evaluated. The evaluated properties include Marshall Stability, resilient modulus, resistance to permanent deformation, and stripping resistance. The test results illustrate the viability of using Rabigh Power Plant carbon waste material as mineral filler. The effects of the carbon material on the Marshall Stability and resilient modulus was limited while its effect on the mixture resistance to stripping was marginal. However, the use of the carbon material was most effective in reducing the permanent deformation of the SMA paving mixture.