Experimental Study of the Effect of Recycled Waste Travertine Stone Powder on the Performance of Thin-layer Surface Treatment

Today, surface treatments have become extensively popular for pavement maintenance and repair around the globe. A major environmental problem of the present age is the ever-increasing generation of construction wastes (CWs). Application of recycled CW in pavements can contribute to preservation of non-renewable materials while reducing the environmental problems. The present research seeks to investigate possible usage of recycled waste travertine stone powder (RWTSP) as an alternative to mineral filler (MF) in thin-layer surface treatment mixtures (slurry sill). For this purpose, wet cohesion test, wet abrasion test, loaded wheel – displacement test, and loaded wheel – sand cohesion test were performed on mixtures in which the MF was replaced by the RWTSP at 0, 25, 75, and 100 wt.% (by total weight of filler). Then, FESEM-EDS, XRF, and FTIR analyses were performed to check for the particle geometry and surface analysis, chemical composition, identification of organic compounds and their structures, chemical bonds, and recognition of functional groups and their molecular structure. Results showed that the mixture containing RWTSP at 100 wt.% with a residual bitumen content of 9% provided for improved wet cohesion, abrasion, and vertical and lateral displacements by about 27.2, 24, 28, and 20%, respectively. Indeed, thanks to irregular particle geometry with uneven and rough surfaces coupled with higher contents of CaO and SiO2, the RWTSP filler replacement enhances the performance of the thin-layer surface treatment.