Novel recycled polyethylene/ground tire rubber/bitumen blends for use in roofing applications: Thermo-mechanical properties

This paper summarises the effect of recycled polymers, such as ground tire rubber (GTR) and recycled polyethylene (RPE), on the thermal and rheological properties of modified bitumen blends. From the experimental results obtained, it can be deduced that GTR or RPE may enhance bitumen thermo-rheological behaviour. However, much more enhanced mechanical properties can be obtained using a combination of both recycled polymers. In that sense, GTR would mainly improve material behaviour at low in-service temperatures, since the glassy region is significantly shifted to much lower temperatures. Complementarily, RPE would mainly improve the high in-service temperature properties by largely increasing material elastic and viscous properties in this temperature region. As a result, and from an environmental point of view, the use of both GTR and RPE may contribute to solve a waste disposal problem, and to improve the quality of the resulting blends for roofing and waterproofing applications.