Study of the possibility of using sulfur asphalt and sulfur concrete in road construction

Abstract The introduction of new effective road construction materials for pavements and foundations of highways is an urgent task, including the development and application of resource-saving technologies aimed at the use of low-demand, large-tonnage mineral materials, semi-finished products, industrial waste, and their by-products. Research on this topic has shown that sulfur and sulfur-containing waste, as well as modified technical sulfur when used as a binder, should be widely used in sulfur structural and road concrete in liquid, granular, or lumpy form. Ferrous cakes from the Pobug Nickel Plant or “tailings” of sulfur ore flotation can be used as fillers for sulfur binder. Having a high specific surface, they will have a positive effect on the structure formation of sulfur during the crystallization of the melt in the direction of strengthening the structure. Their high acid resistance should significantly increase the corrosion resistance of sulfur concretes. Granular slag from a metallurgical plant can be used as a fine aggregate. Overburden rocks in the form of gabbro-dolerites, dolerites, and basalts can be used as acid-resistant large aggregates. To reduce the fragility of the sulfur binder, plasticizing additives such as naphthalene, chlorinated paraffin, and bitumen can be introduced. The results obtained in this study confirm a decrease in the cost in the production of asphalt and cement concrete and the possibility of expanding the range of building materials with new road-building mixtures. Also, the test results showed that when temperature was decreased, the strength characteristics of sulfur concrete in the temperature range 0°C to −60°C increased by 7%. Low water absorption of sulfur concrete (0.1%–0.3%) versus cement concrete (2%–4%), which positively affected the strength and operational characteristics, was revealed.