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Environmental life cycle assessment of encapsulated rejuvenators from mining truck waste tires via pyrolysis for asphalt self-healing

Luis E. Arteaga-Pérez Orcid Logo, Sebastián Larrere, Manuel Chávez-Delgado Orcid Logo, Yesid J. Rueda Ordoñez, Jose L. Concha, Cristina Segura, Jose Norambuena-Contreras Orcid Logo, Yannay Casas-Ledón Orcid Logo

Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume: 490, Start page: 144787

Swansea University Author: Jose Norambuena-Contreras Orcid Logo

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Abstract

The application of pyrolysis to convert waste tires into fuels and engineering additives for asphalt self-healing is being actively explored by both industry stakeholders and researchers. This study presents, for the first time, a comprehensive evaluation of the technical and environmental implicati...

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Published in: Journal of Cleaner Production
ISSN: 0959-6526
Published: Elsevier BV 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68734
Abstract: The application of pyrolysis to convert waste tires into fuels and engineering additives for asphalt self-healing is being actively explored by both industry stakeholders and researchers. This study presents, for the first time, a comprehensive evaluation of the technical and environmental implications of producing encapsulated liquid pyro-rejuvenators for asphalt self-healing applications. The analyses include experimental data on the production, characterization, and upgrading of crude pyro-oils, complemented by plant simulations and scale-up considerations. The pyro-rejuvenator produced after pyrolysis of mining trucks waste tires at 470 °C and distilled between 160 and 200 °C, contains BTX (14.6%), o-cymene (10.9%) and limonene (58%), and <10 cP viscosity, which confirms its feasibility for application in asphalt self-healing. Integrated mass balances results in yields of 27 wt% (pyro-rejuvenator), 11 wt% heavy fuel, 10 wt% light fuel and 5 wt% pyro-gas. The rejuvenator was encapsulated with 97% efficiency within thermochemically stable 1.5 mm alginate-based capsules produced by the vibrating jet method. Environmental Life Cycle Assessment results indicate that water consumption and electricity use during the encapsulation process heavily impact environmental performance, accounting for over 50%, necessitating the exploration of energy integration strategies. Finally, this study demonstrates the feasibility of producing a new generation of asphalt rejuvenators from waste tires sourced from mining trucks.
Keywords: Waste tires; Pyrolysis; Distillation; Encapsulated rejuvenator; Life cycle assessment
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Funders: This research was funded by the National Research and Development Agency (ANID from the Government of Chile, through the Research Projects FONDEF No. ID21I10127 and ANID/FONDAP/15130015 and ANID/FONDAP/1523A0001.
Start Page: 144787