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Buildings
Special Issues
Green Innovation and Performance Optimization of Road Materials
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Green Innovation and Performance Optimization of Road Materials

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2026 | Viewed by 2007

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China
Interests: binder material; smart road construction; green materials; intelligent transportation; pavement structure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Huayang Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510000, China
Interests: pavement; smart road construction; green materials; binder; intelligent transportation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, "Green Innovation and Performance Optimization of Road Materials", will showcase cutting-edge research and technological advancements at the intersection of sustainability and material performance in road engineering. It will focus on innovative approaches to develop and improve road materials with a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability and enhanced engineering performance. It will also bridge the gap between green material design principles and practical solutions for modern transportation infrastructure. Research on using recycled materials (e.g., waste plastics, rubber, glass, and old asphalt pavement) to replace traditional aggregates or binders in road construction, reducing environmental impact and resource consumption, will be accepted. Exploring bio-derived binders, bio-composites, and low-carbon manufacturing processes for road materials, contributing to carbon footprint reduction; developing of road materials with enhanced functional properties, such as self-healing asphalt, temperature-sensitive materials for improved skid resistance, and materials integrated with sensors for real-time monitoring; and advanced modification techniques (e.g., nanotechnology, chemical additives) to improve the mechanical, thermal, and durability performance of road materials under various environmental conditions will also be considered in research. Studies on the life cycle environmental impact assessment (LCA) of road materials, along with strategies for sustainable material design and selection based on LCA results, and innovative testing techniques and characterization methods for evaluating the performance and sustainability of road materials, including laboratory tests, field trials, and numerical simulations, will also be included. We welcome submissions from researchers, engineers, and industry professionals worldwide, aiming to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and promote the adoption of sustainable and high-performance road materials in global infrastructure projects.

Dr. Tao Wang
Dr. Huayang Yu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • green innovation
  • performance optimization
  • road materials

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 1929 KB  
Article
Road Performance and Applicability of Asphalt Mixtures with Neutral Rock Manufactured Sand
by Wenyi Hao, Erjie Zhang, Xiaodong Wang, Dengcai Yan, Guo Yu, Shugen Zhang, Tao Wang and Huayang Yu
Buildings 2026, 16(6), 1170; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16061170 - 16 Mar 2026
Viewed by 290
Abstract
To address the shortage of natural sand and the unclear mechanism of lithology’s influence on the application of manufactured sand, this study explores the applicability of neutral rock manufactured sand in asphalt mixtures. Taking neutral diabase manufactured sand as the research object, a [...] Read more.
To address the shortage of natural sand and the unclear mechanism of lithology’s influence on the application of manufactured sand, this study explores the applicability of neutral rock manufactured sand in asphalt mixtures. Taking neutral diabase manufactured sand as the research object, a series of tests including the Marshall test, water stability test, high- and low-temperature stability test, and surface free energy (SFE) test were conducted to systematically analyze the effects of aggregate lithology on the volumetric indicators, road performance, and interface adhesion of asphalt mixtures. Additionally, the improvement effect of cement as an anti-stripping agent was verified. The results show that lithology of manufactured sand significantly regulates the performance of asphalt mixtures. In terms of volumetric indicators, the limestone manufactured sand mixture has the smallest void ratio (3.81%), while the diabase manufactured sand mixture has the largest (5.81%), requiring an appropriate increase in the mixing ratio of diabase manufactured sand to optimize the compaction effect. For water stability, the short-term performance ranks as diabase ≈ limestone > granite, and the long-term durability ranks as limestone > diabase > granite. A least-squares linear regression model demonstrated that the polar component of aggregate surface free energy exhibits a strong positive correlation with asphalt–aggregate adhesion work (R2 = 0.92), which quantitatively explains variations in the 48 h immersed Marshall residual stability ratio among different lithologies. Regarding high-temperature stability, the order is diabase > limestone > granite. Thanks to its low crushing value and strong angularity, the diabase manufactured sand mixture achieves a dynamic stability of 12,629 times/mm at 60 °C, showing the best rutting resistance. In terms of low-temperature performance, the diabase manufactured sand mixture exhibits the optimal initial crack resistance (maximum flexural strain of 2757 με) and long-term durability (strain attenuation rate of 11.7% after 30 cycles), while the granite manufactured sand mixture fails to meet the design requirements. Adding 1.5%~2.0% cement can significantly improve the adhesion between manufactured sand and asphalt, with more obvious enhancement effects on granite and diabase, thereby optimizing water stability and high-temperature stability. The research results provide theoretical support and technical reference for the scientific selection and engineering application of fine aggregates in asphalt pavements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Innovation and Performance Optimization of Road Materials)
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35 pages, 3922 KB  
Article
Performance Control and Synergistic Modification Mechanism of Phosphogypsum-Based Cementitious Materials
by Bin Xu, Aodong Gao, Yingxin Zhou, Yongwei Yang, Kaiji Lu and Penghui Cao
Buildings 2025, 15(24), 4451; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15244451 - 10 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 792
Abstract
This paper focuses on the resource utilization of phosphogypsum, a major industrial by-product from phosphate fertilizer production, in highway engineering materials, exploring its performance optimization and collaborative modification mechanisms. Phosphogypsum, primarily composed of CaSO4·2H2O, faces challenges such as acidity [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on the resource utilization of phosphogypsum, a major industrial by-product from phosphate fertilizer production, in highway engineering materials, exploring its performance optimization and collaborative modification mechanisms. Phosphogypsum, primarily composed of CaSO4·2H2O, faces challenges such as acidity (pH ≈ 3.56), poor water resistance, and strength limitations, which hinder its engineering application. This study investigates pretreatment methods (e.g., lime neutralization, physical grinding) and the synergistic effects of additives like metakaolin, steel slag, slag powder, and stone powder. The results show that adjusting phosphogypsum’s pH to 10 via lime neutralization significantly improves its mechanical properties, with its 28-day compressive strength increasing by 21%. The optimal dosage of cement as an alkaline activator is 4%, while steel slag performs best at 10%. Metakaolin (11% dosage) enhances the 28-day strength of 30% phosphogypsum-containing systems by 89–114% through pozzolanic reactions, forming a high-strength aluminosilicate network, enabling the preparation of C35 concrete with a 28-day strength of 44.5 MPa. Additionally, stone powder exhibits the most effective strength improvement, with the 56-day strength increasing by 12.5 MPa compared with the reference group. Economically, utilizing 30% phosphogypsum and 11% metakaolin reduces C35 concrete costs by 15–20%. This research provides theoretical and technical support for the large-scale application of phosphogypsum in highway engineering, addressing environmental and economic challenges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Innovation and Performance Optimization of Road Materials)
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23 pages, 9618 KB  
Article
Influence Mechanism of Performance and Aging Behavior of High-Content SBS-Modified Asphalt
by Qi Zheng, Haibo Wang, Beirong Jiang, Shulin Yue and Tao Wang
Buildings 2025, 15(24), 4430; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15244430 - 8 Dec 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 563
Abstract
To address the research bottlenecks in the performance mechanism and engineering application of high-content SBS-modified asphalt (SBS content ≥ 6%), this study used 70# and 90# base asphalts as raw materials to prepare modified asphalts with SBS contents of 5%, 8%, 10%, and [...] Read more.
To address the research bottlenecks in the performance mechanism and engineering application of high-content SBS-modified asphalt (SBS content ≥ 6%), this study used 70# and 90# base asphalts as raw materials to prepare modified asphalts with SBS contents of 5%, 8%, 10%, and 12% via a high-speed shearing-stirring process. Combined with conventional performance tests (penetration, ductility, elastic recovery), rheological analysis (dynamic shear rheology (DSR), rotational viscosity), and micro-characterization (Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)), the regulatory mechanisms of SBS content, base asphalt type, and aging process (RTFOT short-term aging, PAV long-term aging) on asphalt performance were systematically investigated. The results showed that with the increase in SBS content, the asphalt’s increased consistency (as indicated by decreased penetration), low-temperature crack resistance (5 °C ductility increased by more than 5 times), and high-temperature rutting resistance (60 °C complex shear modulus G* increased by 17 times) were significantly enhanced. Due to its higher content of light components, the 90# base asphalt exhibited a better modification effect than the 70# base asphalt. At 12% SBS content, the 5 °C ductility and 60 °C G* of the 90# base asphalt system reached 49.42 cm and 41.62 kPa, respectively. High-content SBS optimized the viscoelastic balance of asphalt: the 70# base asphalt system with 10–12% SBS content showed a phase angle δ < 45° (elasticity-dominated), and the modified asphalt with 12% SBS content exhibited a decrease in fatigue factor (G*sinδ) after PAV aging, indicating excellent fatigue resistance stability. The aging process significantly increased asphalt viscosity (the viscosity of 70# base asphalt with 10% SBS increased by 242% after PAV aging at 135 °C), while high-content SBS inhibited aging deterioration—the penetration ratio of both systems exceeded 96% at 10% SBS content. At the microscale, 10% SBS content enabled the asphalt to form a continuous and dense network structure, reducing carbon loss and slowing oxygen incorporation. Based on PG classification, the modified asphalt with 12% SBS content reached the PG100 grade, which can meet the needs of heavy-load and high-temperature scenarios such as high-toughness ultra-thin asphalt wearing courses. This study provides a key theoretical basis and data support for the content design and engineering promotion of high-content SBS-modified asphalt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Innovation and Performance Optimization of Road Materials)
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