Sustainable Marshall Mixes: LDPE‑Modified Asphalt mix from Waste Polythene and Milk Pouches

Sustainable Marshall Mixes: LDPE‑Modified Asphalt mix from Waste Polythene and Milk Pouches | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Sustainable Marshall Mixes: LDPE‑Modified Asphalt mix from Waste Polythene and Milk Pouches Abdul Samad, Sachin Devkota, Prakriti Pandey This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7117662/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This Study focuses on using low-density polyethylene (LDPE) waste from polythene bags and plastic milk pouches in asphalt mix design as a sustainable modifier. The main problem with plastic waste is that it is non-biodegradable and has a considerable life span, which has caused serious problems in today's life, ranging from soil contamination to blocked drains and urban flash floods. The objective of this study is to use LDPE at varying percentages of 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5%, and 7.5% by weight of bitumen in a marshal mix design and evaluate physical properties and Marshall mixes volumetrics. The LDPE was incorporated into the mix using the dry mix process. Waste Polythene bags and plastic milk pouches were collected and cleaned; after cleaning LDPE, they were shredded using mechanical shredding. Sieving was done, and sample sizes passed from the 2.36mm sieve were selected. These shredded LDPE particles were mixed at varying percentages of 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5%, and 7.5% by weight of bitumen, and physical properties and Marshall mix volumetrics were determined. Binder test results show that penetration and ductility of modified bitumen decreased when the LDPE content increased, whereas the softening point increased. Marshall stability increased from 12.6 KN to 15.5 KN; flow value ranged from 2.45 mm to 1.95 mm; Voids filled with bitumen (VFB) varied from 75.02 % to 76 %, and Voids filled with aggregate (VMA) ranged from 16.36 % to 16.65 %. LDPE Marshal mix design Waste Plastic Bitumen Dry mix process Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13 1. Introduction Plastic is one of the most widely used materials due to its versatility, low cost, and cheap manufacturing cost. Plastic can be molded into different shapes and sizes, which makes it an ideal choice for all industries. Further, its durability, low weight, and corrosion resistance have made plastic a part of human life. However, decomposition of plastic is a complicated process and is like inviting toxic byproducts (Briassoulis et al. 2012 , Butt et al. 2023 , Njeru 2006 ). Hence, the threat of plastic disposal will not go away until practical steps are initiated. Plastic has become a significant concern of municipal solid waste management (Abd El-Rahman et al., 2018 ). The utilization of waste material has gained popularity in the field of pavement engineering. Using waste plastic without compromising the quality of the pavement has gained lots of attention (Ma and Huang, 2020; Ma et al., 2020 ). The field tests prove they enhance road life and solve environmental problems (Punith & Veeraraghavan, 2003). Several studies have been conducted on plastic modifier bitumen (PMB). Polypropylene, Polystyrene, Polyethylene Terephthalate, and Crumb Rubber have been used by several researchers (Fang et al., 2013 ; Ge et al., 2016 ), and they have shown that coating of polymer on the surface of aggregates improves their bonding with bitumen, reduces moisture damage, and increases strength, leading to better performance and durability of flexible pavements. In general, there are two methods to use recycled plastic in asphalt mixtures: the wet mix and the dry mix method. In the wet mix method, the plastic is shredded into small pieces and directly added to the hot bitumen and mixed by rotating the hot paste at high speed (Ghuzlan et al., 2013 b; Kalantar et al., 2012 ), Whereas in the dry process aggregates and heated and the plastic is then added to the hot asphalt mix (Movilla- Quesada et al., 2019). Researchers have shown that 5–10% LDPE content has shown better Marshall volumetrics (Swami et al., 2012 ). Arabani and Pedram ( 2016 ) reported that the standard method to improve bitumen quality was modifying the rheological properties of bitumen by mixing it with synthetic polymers such as rubber and Plastic. (Naskar et al., 2010 ) concludes that resistance to temperature and water improved using polymer–modified bitumen when mixing LDPE particles of size 1.2 -3 mm. Modifying asphalt with polymers is one of the best options for improving asphalt properties. Asphalt mixes should be appropriately designed to avoid premature structural and functional failures, cracking, permanent deformation (rutting), and moisture-induced damage due to water retention in air voids (Wu et al., 2007 ). PMB improves durability, resistance, and stability and acts as an eco-friendly and cost-effective method to solve these prevalent issues (Vasudevan & Rajasekaran, 2007 ). Using LDPE in a bituminous mix helps to improve stability and prevents moisture damage (Ahmad, 2014 ). In the study done in 2022, Shrestha and Niraula suggest that LDPE is one of the promising materials for sustainable road construction while solving the problem of plastic waste management issue. Plastic bottles, shampoo, and electrical pipes are recycled and reused, but polythene bags and milk pouches have a very low recycling and reuse rate. Hence, this study selected polythene bags and milk pouches as the waste plastic to incorporate. 2. Materials Used In this study the use of polythene bags and milk pouches are shredded and used as LDPE plastic. Figure 1 illustrates the experimental approach that has been used in this study. In this study the material used were: Bitumen Aggregate LDPE 2.1 Bitumen The bitumen used in this study is of grade VG-30. Binder test such as penetration, softening and ductility test was carried out. The result obtained from the test is tabulated in Table 1. Table -1 Properties of bitumen Property Result Test Standards Remarks Ductility 71.44 ASTM D113 Cm Penetration 53.33 ASTMD5M 1/10th of mm Softening Point 54.36 ASTM D36M ᴼC Specific Gravity 1.03 ASTM D70M - 2.2 LDPE Plastic waste was collected from different sites, and then it was cleaned, dried and shredded. The ratio plastic bags to milk pouch in the LDPE was 7:3 (Table 2). Shredded LDPE passing through 2.36 mm was used (Figure 2). LDPE at varying percentage of 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5% and 7.5% by weight of bitumen in marshal mix design was taken. The physical properties of LDPE used in this study is shown in Table 3. Table -2 Weight categorization of waste plastic used in the study Type of plastic Weight(gm) Ratio Plastic Bags 2070 70% Milk Pouch 900 30% Total 2970 Table 3 Properties of LDPE used in the study Property Plastic Bags Milk Pouches Melting Temperature 110–115°C 120–125°C Boiling Point >330°C >360°C Amorphous Density @25°C 0.91 g/cm³ 1.39 g/cm³ Specific Gravity 0.92 1.4 2.3 Aggregates Three types of mineral aggregates were employed in the preparation of the asphalt mixture to achieve the required gradation and structural integrity: Stone Dust (utilized as a mineral filler), 10 mm Coarse Aggregate, and 19 mm Coarse Aggregate. The physical properties of this aggregate used in this research is shown in Table 4. Sieve analysis was done to obtain the mix for the preparation of Marshall test (Table 5). The sieve analysis plot is shown in Figure 3. Table - 4 Tests on aggregate Property Value Test Standards Los Angeles Abrasion Test 22.92% ≤ 30% for bituminous layers (IRC/MoRTH) Aggregate Impact Value Test 11.95% ≤ 30% for wearing course (IRC: SP:53, MoRTH) Sp. Gravity of 19mm aggregate 2.66 2.5–3.0 (ASTM C127) Sp. Gravity of 10mm aggregate 2.68 2.5–3.0 (ASTM C127) Sp. Gravity test of stone dusts 2.755 2.5–2.9 (ASTM C128) Table -5 Aggregate gradation used in this study Hot Bin % Blend Lower Limit Upper Limit Sieve size 19-10 mm 35 10-2.36 20 2.36-0.075 45 19 1 35 1 20 1 45 100 90 100 12.5 1 35 1 20 1 45 100 90 9.5 0.57 20.12 1 20 1 45 85.12 4.75 0.24 4.9 1 20 1 45 69.9 2.36 0.09 0.46 0.11 2.16 1 45 47.62 23 49 1.18 0.08 0.04 0.02 0.03 0.67 30.18 30.25 0.6 0.07 0 0.01 0 0.32 9.68 9.69 0.3 0.06 0 0.01 0 0.18 1.73 1.73 0.15 0.02 0 0.01 0 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.0075 0.01 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 pan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 1286.1 734.9 1653.6 3674.6 3. Experimental Programme Marshall specimens were prepared by heating aggregates and binder to their mixing temperatures (typically 155°C–163°C), then thoroughly mixing them to form a uniform asphalt blend. In the case of LDPE-modified bituminous mixtures, the process began with heating the 19 mm coarse aggregates to a temperature between 120°C to 130°C. Once adequately heated, shredded plastic was added in the required proportion and mixed thoroughly (Fig. 4 (a)). Following this, 10 mm aggregates, stone dust, and bitumen were added as per the design requirements and mixed until a homogeneous mixture was achieved. After mixing the range of 1200–1220 gm of bituminous mix was placed in the standard Marshall mould. The specimen preparation process was done as per ASTM D6927-15. After weighing about 1200gm of specimen in the mould it was kept in the Marshall compactor for the compaction in which 75 no of blows was given in each side (Fig. 4 (b)). Then it was left for 24 hrs to cool down. After 24 hours with the help of Marshall extractor the Marshall cake was obtained (Fig. 4 (c)) and necessary information was noted from which air void, Gmb, Gmm, VMA, VFB was calculated. Marshall test for normal bitumen (VG-30) was performed to obtain optimum binder content (OBC) followed by LDPE modified bitumen with different percentage of LDPE 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5% and 7.5%. For each LDPE-Modified bitumen, Marshall test with different percentage of modified binder was performed (Fig. 4 (d)). Optimum LDPE modified binder content (OLMBC) is shown in Fig. 5 . 4. Results and Discussions 4.1 Binder To ensure proper mixing of LDPE with bitumen binder, a modified drilling machine was used which rotates at about 600 rpm (Fig. 6 ). The mixing was done for 10–15 minutes. Different percentage of LDPE (4.5% ,5.5% ,6.5% and 7.5%) was added to the bitumen. The test result for binder is shown in Table 6 . As LDPE content increases from 4.5–7.5%, ductility dropped from 18.64 cm to 6.03 cm (Fig. 7 a) and penetration decreased from 34 to 29 (1/10 mm) (Fig. 7 b), indicating increased stiffness. Also, softening point rise from 56.74°C to 69.39°C (Fig. 7 c): indication improved heat resistance. The results show a good match with Previous studies conducted (Al-Hadidy & Yi-qiu ( 2009 ), Nemade & Thorat 2013 , Punith & Veeraraghavan 2003, Sasane Neha et al., 2015). Table 6 Properties of bitumen with different % of LDPE. LDPE % Ductility (cm) Penetration (1/10) mm Softening(°C) 4.5 18.64 34 56.74 5.5 13.83 32 63.45 6.55 12.25 31 65.65 7.5 6.03 29 69.39 4.2 Marshall Results 4.2.1 Air Void Figure 8 shows the air void analysis result for virgin bitumen and LDPE-Modified bitumen. It can be seen that the maximum air void is at 4.5% binder content and as the binder content is increased air void decreased, this happened due to the increased VFB in the asphalt mix. As the LDPE content is increased air void also increased for all the binder contents. Similar observation has been reported in the study conducted by Genet et al., 2021 . 4.2.2 Marshall Stability With the increase in the LDPE content stability increases peaking at 16.5 KN at 6.5% LDPE and binder 5.5%, after which slight decline at 7.5% LDPE and 5.5% binder content was observed (Fig. 9 ). This shows a trend that the marshal stability for various combination of LDPE and binder will increase up to an optimal point then decrease. This means that adding excessing LDPE to the mix may lead to poor cohesion in the binder matrix. These trends are consistent with the findings from other researchers. Vasudevan et al. (2007) and Shankar et.al, ( 2013 ) also reported that marshal stability for various combination of LDPE and binder will increase up to an optimal point then decrease and the peak was obtained around 6.5% LDPE. Overall, the result indicates that LDPE at an optimum percentage can improve the strength characteristics of the mix significantly. 4.2.3 Flow analysis Flow results for the Marshall mix are shown in Fig. 10 . As shown in the Fig. 10 as the percentage of binder increases the flow of the mix also increases, this occurred due to the decrease in the stability values which caused the flexibility of the mix to increase leading to increased flow values. Increased flow makes the mix unsuitable to heavy traffic load and decreases the performance against temperature variations. However, as the LDPE content was in increased flow of the mix was decrease. At 0% LDPE content flow increases from 1.85 to 3.04 from 4.5–6.5% whereas with increase in the LDPE the flow decreases and becomes minimum in 7.5% at 5.5% binder with flow 1.35 mm. 4.2.4 VMA analysis VMA is the volume of inter granular void between the aggregate particles of the compacted mix. Figure 11 shows the Variation of VMA with Binder and LDPE content. The VMA value initially drops as the binder content increases but as we keep increasing the binder content it reduces. With increase in the LDPE content the VMA% generally increases and reaches 18.278% at LDPE content 7.5% at binder 6.5%. This indicates increasing LDPE content is good for flexible pavements. The results agree with previous studies (Akinpelu et al., 2013 ) 4.2.5 VFB analysis VFB are the voids that present in the HMA mix that are filled with bitumen. Figure 12 shows the Variation of VFB with Binder and LDPE content. The Value of VFB increases as the binder content increases. For Virgin Bitumen Sample at 4.5% binder the VFB value was estimated as 62.5% and at 6.5% it was around 85%. However, when the LDPE was added the VFB stated to decrease for binder content above 5.5% and it increased for the Binder content of 45% and 5%. This might happen as at lower binder content the LDPE and bitumen filled the voids and at higher binder content LDPE replaced the bitumen this creating more voids which are comparable with past studies as well (Akinpelu et al., 2013 ). 4.2.6 Mechanical properties of hot mix asphalt at OBC and OLMBC. Optimum binder content for normal bitumen was found to be 5.32% and for LDPE modified bitumen it was found 5.25%, 5.45%, 5.35%, 5.25% at LDPE content of 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5%,7.5% respectively (Table 7 ). Similar Result (OBC be 5.2% at LDPE 8%) has been reported in the study done by Khadka et al. 2024 . Marshall stability increases with increase in LDPE content peaking at 6.5% with value 15.5 KN and has slightly decreased to 15 KN at 7.5% LDPE content (Fig. 13 (a)). Similar observation has been made in the study conducted by Shah et al. 2024 & Vasudevan et al. 2011 . Figure 13 (b) shows that for OLMBC, flow values gradually decrease with increases in the LDPE content ranging 2.45mm to 1.95mm from 0–7.5% LDPE content. Figure 13 (c) shows that VMA% increases and is maximum at 5.5% LDPE content with 76% VMA% then gradually decreases to 16.24% at 7.5% LDPE content. Figure 13 (d) shows that VFB% increases up to 5.5%, reaching at the peak of 76% and then slightly decreases to 75.8% at 7.5% LDPE content. Table 7 Mechanical properties of hot mix asphalt at OBC and OPMBC. LDPE Content (%) OBC / OLMBC 0 5.32 4.5 5.25 5.5 5.45 6.5 5.35 7.5 5.25 5. Conclusion Key result of this study indicated that the use of LDPE is advantageous to improve the binder and HMA. LDPE can be effectively mixed with bitumen when the mix is rotated at 600 rpm at a temperature of 160–170 ° C. Binder test results that with increase in the LDPE content ductility and penetration decreases from 71.44 to 6.03 (1/10th of mm) and 53.33cm to 29cm respectively. With increase in the LDPE content the binder becomes stiffer. After the addition of the LDPE Softening point rise from 56.74℃to 69.39℃ which indicates better performance for in thermal variation regions. Increase in the LDPE content changes improved mechanical as well as volumetrics properties as well. When LDPE content was increased from 0–6.5% Marshall stability increases with increase in LDPE content peaking at 6.5% with value 15.5 KN but on further increasing the LDPE content to 7.5% the stability dropped to 15 KN. Flow values gradually decrease with increases in the LDPE content ranging 2.45mm to 1.95mm from 0–7.5% LDPE content. This shows that LDPE modified HMA has lower chance to experience permanent deformation for the higher traffic loads. VMA% increases and is maximum at 5.5% LDPE content with 76% VMA% then gradually decreases to 16.24% at 7.5% LDPE content. VFB% increases up to 5.5%, reaching at the peak of 76% and then slightly decreases to 75.8% at 7.5% LDPE content. This shows that use of LDPE has improved the volumetrics of the HMA Declarations Funding This study has not been funded by any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Ethics, Consent to Participate, and Consent to Publish Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Author Contribution Abdul Samad: Manuscript writing, preparation of graphs, figures, and tables. Sachin Devkota: Performed the Marshall Mix Test. Prakriti Pandey: Conducted the binder property Test. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript. ‘Clinical trial number: not applicable.’ Competing Interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Data Availability The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. References Abd El-Rahman, A. M. M., El-Shafie, M., Mohammedy, M. M., & Abo-Shanab, Z. L. (2018). 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Swami, V., Jirge, A., Patil, K., Patil, S., Patil, S., & Salokhe, K. (2012). Use of waste plastic in construction of bituminous road. International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology (IJEST), 4(5). Vasudevan, R., Rajasekaran, S., & Sundarakannan, B. (2011). A technique to dispose waste plastics in an ecofriendly way – Application in construction of flexible pavements. Construction and Building Materials, 28(1), 311–320. Wu, S., Ye, Q., Li, N., & Yue, H. (2007). Effects of fibers on the dynamic properties of asphalt mixtures. Journal of Wuhan University of Technology-Mater. Sci. Ed. , 22 (4), 733-736. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7117662","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":490049998,"identity":"03bf5b14-ca5f-4865-8cfb-56b7d55485f0","order_by":0,"name":"Abdul 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College","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sachin","middleName":"","lastName":"Devkota","suffix":""},{"id":490050003,"identity":"7715ae6b-7e47-46ba-a4bd-7e8aaad96a9c","order_by":2,"name":"Prakriti Pandey","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Lumbini Engineering Management and Science College","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Prakriti","middleName":"","lastName":"Pandey","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-14 06:38:33","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7117662/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7117662/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":87596440,"identity":"7a7d354b-0941-447d-9a86-576ddf164895","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 15:56:44","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":26344,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFlowchart of the study\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/8a7c8ce2f580fe4a5e7e0b4c.png"},{"id":87596438,"identity":"ee78dbb9-dd41-4fa1-a089-64ee87c8363c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 15:56:44","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":197707,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eShredded LDPE\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/c3eb6fd832e0ba0faccab20f.png"},{"id":87596436,"identity":"516beb37-27e9-4cb3-af8c-0ceabeb43343","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 15:56:44","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":53863,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAggregate gradation used in this study\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/b46c6957444693ee2e428c47.png"},{"id":87596446,"identity":"07b1f6d9-0728-4024-a22b-8769315c75cc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 15:56:44","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":258051,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e(a) Mixing of LDPE, (b) Sample Compaction (c) Sample Extraction (d) Stability and Flow Test\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/027ed7b1a7ab786df0f4b836.png"},{"id":87596444,"identity":"b9addd45-762e-4596-83e0-68cc96f4adc1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 15:56:44","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":94208,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLDPE Content v/s OBC %\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/0e2aadc32c5681ad2ae39034.png"},{"id":87596874,"identity":"d039f1d4-2d5e-483b-b7c5-3df27efdb074","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 16:04:44","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":173183,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMixing of LDPE sample with bitumen\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/6c9ee92751e26d5c505da259.png"},{"id":87596461,"identity":"261c27c7-79f1-415d-b94b-ff76fd7f094e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 15:56:44","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":46491,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariation of (a) Ductility, (b) Penetration and (c) softening Point with LDPE content\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/9e4e3d1dc88e96ced2bb360b.png"},{"id":87596871,"identity":"b1ea2cb5-7e3f-45aa-8767-36dfe19bad68","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 16:04:44","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":82725,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariation of Air void with Binder and LDPE content\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/75a750f5d85306c77b814908.png"},{"id":87596872,"identity":"293ba273-9a0a-46b1-bb3f-37939fda2575","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 16:04:44","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":99486,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariation of Marshall Stability with Binder and LDPE content\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/0c446b6949822cd1d750d535.png"},{"id":87596452,"identity":"d14c0c05-5e0b-40da-9984-ff3d8255fa19","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 15:56:44","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":90035,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariation of Marshall Flow with Binder and LDPE content\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/56c46b4932e94326930dad51.png"},{"id":87596455,"identity":"f1197569-7f2e-460b-970e-0b633bfe404d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 15:56:44","extension":"png","order_by":11,"title":"Figure 11","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":73284,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariation of VMA with Binder and LDPE content\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"11.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/677d275221c18f46e2d75a6c.png"},{"id":87596879,"identity":"4dae1461-baec-42d6-8921-b1b5c89b3589","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 16:04:45","extension":"png","order_by":12,"title":"Figure 12","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":86873,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariation of VFB with Binder and LDPE content\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"12.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/1f0b7da00a1fe066c855949f.png"},{"id":87596460,"identity":"996a8cc8-ae28-4104-b88e-da70e661ac35","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-25 15:56:44","extension":"png","order_by":13,"title":"Figure 13","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":316576,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariation of (a) Stability (b) Flow (c) VMA (d) VFB with LDPE at OBC and OLMBC\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"13.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/a767f625c829f551b3fb0a0f.png"},{"id":99798962,"identity":"2a7cf676-42d6-4a88-8c36-117a8ef8778d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-08 13:49:06","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2199732,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7117662/v1/9f01cfe0-8c67-4783-a059-9588cce3ef3d.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Sustainable Marshall Mixes: LDPE‑Modified Asphalt mix from Waste Polythene and Milk Pouches","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003ePlastic is one of the most widely used materials due to its versatility, low cost, and cheap manufacturing cost. Plastic can be molded into different shapes and sizes, which makes it an ideal choice for all industries. Further, its durability, low weight, and corrosion resistance have made plastic a part of human life. However, decomposition of plastic is a complicated process and is like inviting toxic byproducts (Briassoulis et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e, Butt et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e, Njeru \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Hence, the threat of plastic disposal will not go away until practical steps are initiated. Plastic has become a significant concern of municipal solid waste management (Abd El-Rahman et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). The utilization of waste material has gained popularity in the field of pavement engineering. Using waste plastic without compromising the quality of the pavement has gained lots of attention (Ma and Huang, 2020; Ma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The field tests prove they enhance road life and solve environmental problems (Punith \u0026amp; Veeraraghavan, 2003).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeveral studies have been conducted on plastic modifier bitumen (PMB). Polypropylene, Polystyrene, Polyethylene Terephthalate, and Crumb Rubber have been used by several researchers (Fang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Ge et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), and they have shown that coating of polymer on the surface of aggregates improves their bonding with bitumen, reduces moisture damage, and increases strength, leading to better performance and durability of flexible pavements.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn general, there are two methods to use recycled plastic in asphalt mixtures: the wet mix and the dry mix method. In the wet mix method, the plastic is shredded into small pieces and directly added to the hot bitumen and mixed by rotating the hot paste at high speed (Ghuzlan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003eb; Kalantar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), Whereas in the dry process aggregates and heated and the plastic is then added to the hot asphalt mix (Movilla- Quesada et al., 2019). Researchers have shown that 5\u0026ndash;10% LDPE content has shown better Marshall volumetrics (Swami et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArabani and Pedram (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) reported that the standard method to improve bitumen quality was modifying the rheological properties of bitumen by mixing it with synthetic polymers such as rubber and Plastic. (Naskar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) concludes that resistance to temperature and water improved using polymer\u0026ndash;modified bitumen when mixing LDPE particles of size 1.2 -3 mm. Modifying asphalt with polymers is one of the best options for improving asphalt properties.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsphalt mixes should be appropriately designed to avoid premature structural and functional failures, cracking, permanent deformation (rutting), and moisture-induced damage due to water retention in air voids (Wu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). PMB improves durability, resistance, and stability and acts as an eco-friendly and cost-effective method to solve these prevalent issues (Vasudevan \u0026amp; Rajasekaran, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). Using LDPE in a bituminous mix helps to improve stability and prevents moisture damage (Ahmad, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). In the study done in 2022, Shrestha and Niraula suggest that LDPE is one of the promising materials for sustainable road construction while solving the problem of plastic waste management issue.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlastic bottles, shampoo, and electrical pipes are recycled and reused, but polythene bags and milk pouches have a very low recycling and reuse rate. Hence, this study selected polythene bags and milk pouches as the waste plastic to incorporate.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials Used","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this study the use of polythene bags and milk pouches are shredded and used as LDPE plastic. Figure 1 illustrates the experimental approach that has been used in this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study the material used were:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"decimal_type\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eBitumen\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAggregate\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eLDPE\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.1 Bitumen\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;The bitumen used in this study is of grade VG-30. Binder test such as penetration, softening and ductility test was carried out. The result obtained from the test is tabulated in Table 1.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable -1 Properties of bitumen\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"595\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 138px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProperty\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResult\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTest Standards\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRemarks\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 138px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDuctility\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e71.44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eASTM D113\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 139px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCm\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 138px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePenetration\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e53.33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eASTMD5M\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 139px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1/10th of mm\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 138px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoftening Point\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e54.36\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eASTM D36M\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 139px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eᴼC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 138px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSpecific Gravity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 186px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eASTM D70M\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 139px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.2 LDPE\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlastic waste was collected from different sites, and then it was cleaned, dried and shredded. The ratio plastic bags to milk pouch in the LDPE was 7:3 (Table 2). Shredded LDPE passing through 2.36 mm was used (Figure 2). LDPE at varying percentage of 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5% and 7.5% by weight of bitumen in marshal mix design was taken. The physical properties of LDPE used in this study is shown in Table 3.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable -2 Weight categorization of waste plastic used in the study\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"589\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 158px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eType of plastic\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 216px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight(gm)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 216px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRatio\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 158px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePlastic Bags\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 216px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2070\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 216px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e70%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 158px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMilk Pouch\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 216px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e900\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 216px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 158px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 216px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2970\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 216px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 3 Properties of LDPE used in the study\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"632\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProperty\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlastic Bags\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMilk Pouches\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMelting Temperature\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e110\u0026ndash;115\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;120\u0026ndash;125\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBoiling Point\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u0026gt;330\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;360\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAmorphous Density @25\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.91 g/cm\u0026sup3;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.39 g/cm\u0026sup3;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSpecific Gravity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.92\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 211px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.3 Aggregates\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree types of mineral aggregates were employed in the preparation of the asphalt mixture to achieve the required gradation and structural integrity:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eStone Dust (utilized as a mineral filler),\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e10 mm Coarse Aggregate, and\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e19 mm Coarse Aggregate.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe physical properties of this aggregate used in this research is shown in Table 4. Sieve analysis was done to obtain the mix for the preparation of Marshall test (Table 5). The sieve analysis plot is shown in Figure 3.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable - 4 Tests on aggregate\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"651\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 236px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProperty\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 129px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eValue\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 287px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTest Standards\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 236px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLos Angeles Abrasion Test\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 129px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.92%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 287px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026le; 30%\u003c/strong\u003e for bituminous layers (IRC/MoRTH)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 236px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAggregate Impact Value Test\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 129px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.95%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 287px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026le; 30%\u003c/strong\u003e for wearing course (IRC: SP:53, MoRTH)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 236px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSp. Gravity of 19mm aggregate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 129px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 287px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.5\u0026ndash;3.0\u003c/strong\u003e (ASTM C127)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 236px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSp. Gravity of 10mm aggregate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 129px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.68\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 287px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.5\u0026ndash;3.0\u003c/strong\u003e (ASTM C127)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 236px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSp. Gravity test of stone dusts\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 129px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.755\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 287px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.5\u0026ndash;2.9\u003c/strong\u003e (ASTM C128)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable -5 Aggregate gradation used in this study\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"616\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" style=\"width: 310px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHot Bin %\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlend\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLower Limit\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUpper Limit\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSieve size\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e19-10 mm\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e35\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e10-2.36\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e20\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.36-0.075\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e45\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e90\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e90\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e85.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.75\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e69.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.36\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.68\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.69\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.73\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.73\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.0075\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1286.1\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e734.9\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1653.6\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3674.6\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"3. Experimental Programme","content":"\u003cp\u003eMarshall specimens were prepared by heating aggregates and binder to their mixing temperatures (typically 155\u0026deg;C\u0026ndash;163\u0026deg;C), then thoroughly mixing them to form a uniform asphalt blend. In the case of LDPE-modified bituminous mixtures, the process began with heating the 19 mm coarse aggregates to a temperature between 120\u0026deg;C to 130\u0026deg;C. Once adequately heated, shredded plastic was added in the required proportion and mixed thoroughly (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e (a)). Following this, 10 mm aggregates, stone dust, and bitumen were added as per the design requirements and mixed until a homogeneous mixture was achieved. After mixing the range of 1200\u0026ndash;1220 gm of bituminous mix was placed in the standard Marshall mould. The specimen preparation process was done as per ASTM D6927-15.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter weighing about 1200gm of specimen in the mould it was kept in the Marshall compactor for the compaction in which 75 no of blows was given in each side (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e (b)). Then it was left for 24 hrs to cool down. After 24 hours with the help of Marshall extractor the Marshall cake was obtained (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e (c)) and necessary information was noted from which air void, Gmb, Gmm, VMA, VFB was calculated. Marshall test for normal bitumen (VG-30) was performed to obtain optimum binder content (OBC) followed by LDPE modified bitumen with different percentage of LDPE 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5% and 7.5%. For each LDPE-Modified bitumen, Marshall test with different percentage of modified binder was performed (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e (d)). Optimum LDPE modified binder content (OLMBC) is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Results and Discussions","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.1 Binder\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo ensure proper mixing of LDPE with bitumen binder, a modified drilling machine was used which rotates at about 600 rpm (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). The mixing was done for 10\u0026ndash;15 minutes. Different percentage of LDPE (4.5% ,5.5% ,6.5% and 7.5%) was added to the bitumen. The test result for binder is shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e. As LDPE content increases from 4.5\u0026ndash;7.5%, ductility dropped from 18.64 cm to 6.03 cm (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003ea) and penetration decreased from 34 to 29 (1/10 mm) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eb), indicating increased stiffness. Also, softening point rise from 56.74\u0026deg;C to 69.39\u0026deg;C (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003ec): indication improved heat resistance. The results show a good match with Previous studies conducted (Al-Hadidy \u0026amp; Yi-qiu (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e), Nemade \u0026amp; Thorat \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e, Punith \u0026amp; Veeraraghavan 2003, Sasane Neha et al., 2015).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eProperties of bitumen with different % of LDPE.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLDPE %\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuctility (cm)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePenetration (1/10) mm\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoftening(\u0026deg;C)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e56.74\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.83\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.55\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e65.65\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2 Marshall Results\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2.1 Air Void\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFigure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e shows the air void analysis result for virgin bitumen and LDPE-Modified bitumen. It can be seen that the maximum air void is at 4.5% binder content and as the binder content is increased air void decreased, this happened due to the increased VFB in the asphalt mix. As the LDPE content is increased air void also increased for all the binder contents. Similar observation has been reported in the study conducted by Genet et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2.2 Marshall Stability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the increase in the LDPE content stability increases peaking at 16.5 KN at 6.5% LDPE and binder 5.5%, after which slight decline at 7.5% LDPE and 5.5% binder content was observed (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e). This shows a trend that the marshal stability for various combination of LDPE and binder will increase up to an optimal point then decrease. This means that adding excessing LDPE to the mix may lead to poor cohesion in the binder matrix. These trends are consistent with the findings from other researchers. Vasudevan et al. (2007) and Shankar et.al, (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e) also reported that marshal stability for various combination of LDPE and binder will increase up to an optimal point then decrease and the peak was obtained around 6.5% LDPE. Overall, the result indicates that LDPE at an optimum percentage can improve the strength characteristics of the mix significantly.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2.3 Flow analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFlow results for the Marshall mix are shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e. As shown in the Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e as the percentage of binder increases the flow of the mix also increases, this occurred due to the decrease in the stability values which caused the flexibility of the mix to increase leading to increased flow values. Increased flow makes the mix unsuitable to heavy traffic load and decreases the performance against temperature variations. However, as the LDPE content was in increased flow of the mix was decrease. At 0% LDPE content flow increases from 1.85 to 3.04 from 4.5\u0026ndash;6.5% whereas with increase in the LDPE the flow decreases and becomes minimum in 7.5% at 5.5% binder with flow 1.35 mm.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2.4 VMA analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eVMA is the volume of inter granular void between the aggregate particles of the compacted mix. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig11\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e shows the Variation of VMA with Binder and LDPE content. The VMA value initially drops as the binder content increases but as we keep increasing the binder content it reduces. With increase in the LDPE content the VMA% generally increases and reaches 18.278% at LDPE content 7.5% at binder 6.5%. This indicates increasing LDPE content is good for flexible pavements. The results agree with previous studies (Akinpelu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2.5 VFB analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eVFB are the voids that present in the HMA mix that are filled with bitumen. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig12\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e shows the Variation of VFB with Binder and LDPE content. The Value of VFB increases as the binder content increases. For Virgin Bitumen Sample at 4.5% binder the VFB value was estimated as 62.5% and at 6.5% it was around 85%. However, when the LDPE was added the VFB stated to decrease for binder content above 5.5% and it increased for the Binder content of 45% and 5%. This might happen as at lower binder content the LDPE and bitumen filled the voids and at higher binder content LDPE replaced the bitumen this creating more voids which are comparable with past studies as well (Akinpelu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.2.6 Mechanical properties of hot mix asphalt at OBC and OLMBC.\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOptimum binder content for normal bitumen was found to be 5.32% and for LDPE modified bitumen it was found 5.25%, 5.45%, 5.35%, 5.25% at LDPE content of 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5%,7.5% respectively (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). Similar Result (OBC be 5.2% at LDPE 8%) has been reported in the study done by Khadka et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarshall stability increases with increase in LDPE content peaking at 6.5% with value 15.5 KN and has slightly decreased to 15 KN at 7.5% LDPE content (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig13\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e (a)). Similar observation has been made in the study conducted by Shah et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e \u0026amp; Vasudevan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFigure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig13\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e (b) shows that for OLMBC, flow values gradually decrease with increases in the LDPE content ranging 2.45mm to 1.95mm from 0\u0026ndash;7.5% LDPE content. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig13\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e (c) shows that VMA% increases and is maximum at 5.5% LDPE content with 76% VMA% then gradually decreases to 16.24% at 7.5% LDPE content. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig13\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e (d) shows that VFB% increases up to 5.5%, reaching at the peak of 76% and then slightly decreases to 75.8% at 7.5% LDPE content.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 7\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMechanical properties of hot mix asphalt at OBC and OPMBC.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLDPE Content (%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOBC / OLMBC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eKey result of this study indicated that the use of LDPE is advantageous to improve the binder and HMA. LDPE can be effectively mixed with bitumen when the mix is rotated at 600 rpm at a temperature of 160\u0026ndash;170 \u0026deg; C. Binder test results that with increase in the LDPE content ductility and penetration decreases from 71.44 to 6.03 (1/10th of mm) and 53.33cm to 29cm respectively. With increase in the LDPE content the binder becomes stiffer. After the addition of the LDPE Softening point rise from 56.74℃to 69.39℃ which indicates better performance for in thermal variation regions. Increase in the LDPE content changes improved mechanical as well as volumetrics properties as well. When LDPE content was increased from 0\u0026ndash;6.5% Marshall stability increases with increase in LDPE content peaking at 6.5% with value 15.5 KN but on further increasing the LDPE content to 7.5% the stability dropped to 15 KN. Flow values gradually decrease with increases in the LDPE content ranging 2.45mm to 1.95mm from 0\u0026ndash;7.5% LDPE content. This shows that LDPE modified HMA has lower chance to experience permanent deformation for the higher traffic loads. VMA% increases and is maximum at 5.5% LDPE content with 76% VMA% then gradually decreases to 16.24% at 7.5% LDPE content. VFB% increases up to 5.5%, reaching at the peak of 76% and then slightly decreases to 75.8% at 7.5% LDPE content. This shows that use of LDPE has improved the volumetrics of the HMA\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study has not been funded by any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics, Consent to Participate, and Consent to Publish Declarations\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable.\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;Consent for publication: Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbdul Samad: Manuscript writing, preparation of graphs, figures, and tables.\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;Sachin Devkota: Performed the Marshall Mix Test.\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;Prakriti Pandey: Conducted the binder property Test.\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Clinical trial number: not applicable.’\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting Interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAbd El-Rahman, A. M. M., El-Shafie, M., Mohammedy, M. M., \u0026amp; Abo-Shanab, Z. L. (2018). Enhancing the performance of blown asphalt binder using waste EVA copolymer (WEVA). \u003cem\u003eEgyptian journal of petroleum\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e27\u003c/em\u003e(4), 513-521.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAl-Hadidy, A. I., \u0026amp; Yi-qiu, T. (2009). Effect of polyethylene on life of flexible pavements. \u003cem\u003eConstruction and Building Materials\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e23\u003c/em\u003e(3), 1456-1464.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eArabani, M., \u0026amp; Pedram, M. (2016). Laboratory investigation of rutting and fatigue in glassphalt containing waste plastic bottles. Construction and building materials, 116, 378-383.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;Briassoulis, D., Hiskakis, M., Babou, E., Antiohos, S. K., \u0026amp; Papadi, C. (2012). Experimental investigation of the quality characteristics of agricultural plastic wastes regarding their recycling and energy recovery potential. Waste Management, 32(6), 1075-1090.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;Butt, F. K., Shangguan, D., Butt, A. Q., Arshad, M. T., Raja, B. N. K., Khitab, A., ... \u0026amp; Mukhtar, M. A. (2023). An experimental study to mitigate environmental impacts by transforming waste plastic bags into paving blocks and roof tiles. Sustainability, 15(22), 15801.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eFang, C., Zhang, Y., Yu, Q., Zhou, X., Guo, D., Yu, R., \u0026amp; Zhang, M. (2013). Preparation, characterization and hot storage stability of asphalt modified by waste polyethylene packaging. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Materials Science \u0026amp; Technology\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e29\u003c/em\u003e(5), 434-438.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGe, D., Yan, K., You, Z., \u0026amp; Xu, H. (2016). Modification mechanism of asphalt binder with waste tire rubber and recycled polyethylene. Construction and Building Materials, 126, 66-76.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGenet, M. B., Sendekie, Z. B., \u0026amp; Jembere, A. L. (2021). Investigation and optimization of waste LDPE plastic as a modifier of asphalt mix for highway asphalt: Case of Ethiopian roads. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, 4, 100150.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGhuzlan, K. A., Al-Khateeb, G. G., \u0026amp; Qasem, Y. (2013). Rheological properties of polyethylene-modified asphalt binder. Athens Journal of Technology and Engineering, 10, 1-14.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eKalantar, Z. N., Karim, M. R., \u0026amp; Mahrez, A. (2012). A review of using waste and virgin polymer in pavement. Construction and Building Materials, 33, 55-62.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eKhadka, R., Poudel, D., Timsina, D., \u0026amp; Madai, P. B. (2024). Performance Comparison of Two Waste Plastics (Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)) for Asphalt Pavement on the Basis of Marshall Test. International Journal on Engineering Technology, 2(1), 168-175.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eM. Akinpelu, B.I.O. Dahunsi, O. Olafusi, O. Awogboro, A. Quadri, Effect of polythene modified bitumen on properties of hot mix asphalt, ARPN J. Eng. Appl. Sci. 8 (4) (2013) 290\u0026ndash;295.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eM. S. Ahmad, \u0026quot;Low Density Polyethylene Modified Dense Graded Bituminous Macadam,\u0026quot; \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT)\u003c/em\u003e, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 365\u0026ndash;371, Oct. 2014.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMa, Y., Polaczyk, P., Park, H., Jiang, X., Hu, W., \u0026amp; Huang, B. (2020). Performance evaluation of temperature effect on hot in-place recycling asphalt mixtures. 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Ed.\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e22\u003c/em\u003e(4), 733-736.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"LDPE, Marshal mix design, Waste Plastic, Bitumen, Dry mix process","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7117662/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7117662/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis Study focuses on using low-density polyethylene (LDPE) waste from polythene bags and plastic milk pouches in asphalt mix design as a sustainable modifier. The main problem with plastic waste is that it is non-biodegradable and has a considerable life span, which has caused serious problems in today's life, ranging from soil contamination to blocked drains and urban flash floods. The objective of this study is to use LDPE at varying percentages of 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5%, and 7.5% by weight of bitumen in a marshal mix design and evaluate physical properties and Marshall mixes volumetrics. The LDPE was incorporated into the mix using the dry mix process. Waste Polythene bags and plastic milk pouches were collected and cleaned; after cleaning LDPE, they were shredded using mechanical shredding. Sieving was done, and sample sizes passed from the 2.36mm sieve were selected. These shredded LDPE particles were mixed at varying percentages of 4.5%, 5.5%, 6.5%, and 7.5% by weight of bitumen, and physical properties and Marshall mix volumetrics were determined. Binder test results show that penetration and ductility of modified bitumen decreased when the LDPE content increased, whereas the softening point increased. Marshall stability increased from 12.6 KN to 15.5 KN; flow value ranged from 2.45 mm to 1.95 mm; Voids filled with bitumen (VFB) varied from 75.02 % to 76 %, and Voids filled with aggregate (VMA) ranged from 16.36 % to 16.65 %.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Sustainable Marshall Mixes: LDPE‑Modified Asphalt mix from Waste Polythene and Milk Pouches","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-25 15:56:39","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7117662/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"b994dc94-010b-4049-9dec-5e2ce5003f1e","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 25th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-08T11:54:50+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-25 15:56:39","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7117662","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7117662","identity":"rs-7117662","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}