Asphalt modified with superfine electric arc furnace steel dust (EAF dust) with high zinc oxide content

Electric arc furnace (EAF) dust is a complex ceramic-type hazardous waste generated by the metallurgical industry and produced worldwide in millions of tons. In this research EAF dust is evaluated as an admixture for asphalt up to 50 wt%. The microstructure was analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Fourier transform infrared spectra, penetration, softening point and viscosity tests were conducted for all compositions. The results show the penetration point increases until 10 wt% of waste and it then decreases. Conversely, the softening point, penetration index (PI) and viscosity, decrease after 5 wt% and reaches a minimum at 10 wt%. The particle distance was calculated using the composite materials theory, and other variables were analyzed in terms of inter-particle distance estimations.