Recent developments in asphalt-aggregate separation technology for reclaimed asphalt pavement

Reclaimed asphalt pavement(RAP)has significant recycling value because it contains nonrenewable resources including asphalt and aggregate.However,thus far,only a small part of RAP materials can be used in the con-struction of recycled asphalt pavement,and the usage is regarded as a low-value utilization in the underlying layers.One of the most important reasons for this shortcoming is the problem of false particle size and pseudo gradation of RAP materials.Therefore,identifying suitable asphalt-aggregate separation technology is essential for improving the utilization of RAP materials in recycled asphalt mixture and enhancing the construction quality of recycled asphalt pavement.To address this,the paper performed a systematic review of asphalt-aggregate separation technologies for processing RAP materials and their prospects.Firstly,based on the composition of the asphalt mixture and the characteristics of RAP materials after aging,the key RAP separation technologies were proposed.Then,the concept,principle,and implementation methods of physical,chemical,and biological sep-aration methods of RAP materials were comprehensively analyzed.Moreover,the advantages and disadvantages of various separation technologies were discussed by comparing them with the related technologies in the petrochemical industry.The application prospects of various asphalt-aggregate separation methods for RAP materials can provide a reference for upgrading and expanding solid waste recycling technology for asphalt pavement.

Zero sintering-induced shrinkage of porous oxide ceramics

Porous oxide ceramics are widely used in extreme working conditions owing to their excellent resistance to high temperatures and corrosion.However,sintering is an inevitable process applied to ceramics,from the green body to the final product.The highly complex structures exacerbate the shrinkage-induced ir-regular deformation and crack formation in the sintering process.A pioneering approach is developed in this study to achieve zero shrinkage for porous alumina ceramics during multistep sintering,using a combination of active fillers-ZrAl 3 and Al 75 Si 25.The response surface method is used to optimize the material compositions and sintering process,to achieve shrinkages of less than 0.05%for the entire pro-cess.The sintering expansion mechanism is investigated by analyzing the pyrolysis and microstructures of samples at different temperatures.The combination of ZrAl 3 and Al 75 Si 25 can attain the continuous expansion of the matrix in a wide temperature range of 600-1400°C.Furthermore,typical alumina com-ponents are fabricated and used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.Owing to shrinkage suppression,the profile deviation of the samples is less than 0.1 mm,and the proportion of microcracks is reduced by 97.8%.The suggested approach shows potential applications in near-net,low-defect fabrica-tion of complex fine ceramic components.