Design and performance assessment of sustainable road pothole patching materials using waste cooking oil, plastic, and reclaimed asphalt pavement

Pothole repairing is routine and substantial maintenance work for public work agencies to improve road conditions and traffic safety. This study developed sustainable and cost-effective pothole patching materials by circular uses of three recyclable materials, including reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), waste cooking oil (WCO), and plastic. The biobinder was synthesized via the polymerization of WCO with co-crosslinker Maleic Anhydride (MA). The low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic was used to modify a biobinder to enhance its elasticity. Results showed the RAP-biobinder mixtures and RAP-biobinder-plastic mixtures had higher indirect tensile strength and improved rutting resistance compared to the RAP-WCO mixtures. The designed patching mixtures exhibited superior mechanical performance compared with the commercial cold patch mixtures. Field pothole patching tests were also conducted to assess the workability and patching performance of the developed patching mixtures. The RAP-WCO mixture demonstrated sufficient workability and effective patching performance based on one-year monitoring.