Effect of activated carbon and furan resin on asphalt mixture performance

Modified asphalt mixtures were prepared by incorporating activated carbon (C-A) obtained by vacuum pyrolysis of hazelnut shells and furan resin (FR) in asphalt. C-A and FR modified mixtures were evaluated in terms of two main distress modes of flexible pavements, namely, rutting and moisture damage. Asphalt mixtures in this study were prepared by using 10%, 15% and 20% C-A and 4%, 5% and 6% FR mixing ratios based on the binder weight to analyse the possibility of using C-A and FR. The results reveal that using C-A and FR significantly increased the Marshall stability by 9% and FR modification increased the Marshall quotient by 25%. As for the indirect tensile stiffness modulus values, it was determined that specimens containing both 10% C-A and 5% FR have the highest stiffness modulus, which is 16% higher than those of the original mixture. A remarkable increase was found at indirect tensile strength (ITS) test. While 20% C-A modification increases the unconditioned ITS value 19%, 6% FR modification increases this value at a 12% level. ITS ratio reached 87% with a 5% FR modification, but the ITS ratio of control mixture decreased from 83% to 70%, 72% and 75%, respectively, with 10%, 15% and 20% C-A modification. So it is clear that C-A reduces the durability of the mixture. Using C-A and FR as modifiers exhibited high performance by improving the rutting resistance, and stiffness modulus. In consideration of moisture damage, while C-A deteriorates, FR modification improves the durability of the mixture.