(154aj) MD Simulation of Waste Plastic-Asphalt Compatibility

In order to improve the longevity of asphalt pavements, which require frequent maintenance owing to rutting and cracking, this study examines the application of polymer modification. Asphalt binders with polymer modifications have demonstrated enhanced performance characteristics, such as increased resistance to rutting, cracking, and oxidative long-term aging. Waste plastics have been looked at as a potential replacement for virgin polymers in asphalt binders, offering economic savings and environmental advantages. However, the compatibility between waste plastics and binder remains problematic, and better methods of screening plastics and binders for improved interaction strength are required. The phase behavior of asphalt-polymer blends is predicted using the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter, and the compatibility of various polymers with asphalt molecules is examined using MD modeling. The analysis of four different polymers reveals that polyethylene is the most compatible and that the phase separation behavior of an asphalt-polymer blend is significantly influenced by the molecular weight of the binder. This study lays the groundwork for future research into the modification of polymers and the use of waste plastic in asphalt binders.