Application of Geo-Polymers in Flexible Pavements: A State of the Art
Volume Title: ICASGE2025
Paper ID : 1177-ICASGE
Authors
1Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
2Assistant professor, Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
3Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
Abstract
The construction of roadway pavements is vital to any developed or developing economy. The need to ensure that this construction meets with the eco-friendly requirements of sustainable development has recently increased due to the drastic effects of the environmental disruption. Geo-polymers have been recently recognized as an eco-friendly construction material, particularly when derived from industrial by-products to be used in pavement construction. The current paper explores the modification of different layers of flexible pavement through geopolymers. Additionally, their engineering properties, production methods, and potential applications in pavement construction—focusing on durability and sustainability—are discussed. A review of the literature indicates that various industrial by-products, such as red mud, blast furnace slag, fly ash, and mining waste, are used to produce geopolymers due to the presence of metal elements like silicon and aluminum. These geopolymers influence the rheological and physical properties of flexible pavement layers. Additionally, the inclusion of geopolymers has been shown to enhance the performance of asphalt mixtures, improving stability, resistance to fatigue, rutting, and low-temperature cracking. Furthermore, the use of geopolymers in asphalt pavements offers significant benefits in terms of sustainability, as well as economic and environmental advantages.
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