Dr. Magdy Abdelrahman will present a research seminar entitled, “A Program in Asphalt Technology and Sustainability: Research Challenges and Strategies” at 2 pm Friday, Dec. 4.

The construction sector faces sustainability challenges including minimizing waste, minimizing the use of resources (energy, water, etc.), recycling, efficiency, and preventing pollution.  Recycling, specifically, is a complex challenge facing the asphalt industry. Future asphalt mixes will likely contain recycled materials, recycled polymers, and/or rejuvenators. Performance has not been consistent, and specifications need updates. The asphalt industry has the advantage of successful partnerships with government agencies and academia to develop new technologies that address the sustainability challenges.

This presentation outlines the view of the research program on asphalt technology at Missouri S&T focused on inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches to address the sustainability challenges. The presentation discusses major challenges facing the use of recycled mixes and suggests strategies to address those challenges based on current and earlier research work, which indicates the need to focus on understanding the interactions of asphalt with recycled materials. Research results highlight the possibility of controlling the mechanism of interacting asphalt with recycled materials to optimize the performance of asphalt mixes.