Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Research projects

RERS - Road Engineering Research Section

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Fotocatalytische asfalt wegdekken voor de Haven van Antwerpen: een haalbaarheidsstudie (Port of Future)

Abstract​

Asfaltverhardingen moeten bestand zijn tegen de gevolgen van het weer (d.w.z. UV-, regen- en vries-dooi cycli) en (zware) verkeersbelasting tijdens hun levensduur, met behoud van de noodzakelijke mechanische prestaties, bijv. beperkte spoorvorming, weerstand tegen vermoeidheid en waterbestendigheid, en het bieden van comfortabele en veilige rijomstandigheden wat betreft de oppervlakte-eigenschappen, rekening houdend met de slipweerstand en de textuur. Recentelijk is niet alleen onderzoek gedaan naar de mechanische prestaties of de algehele milieu-impact van asfaltverharding, maar is er ook meer aandacht besteed aan slimme verhardingen, zoals fotokatalytische verhardingen. In de meeste gevallen worden TiO2-nanodeeltjes (halfgeleidermateriaal) gebruikt als fotokatalysator voor diverse doeleinden, meestal voor de fotokatalytische afbraak van lucht- en watervervuiling, omdat het effectief, niet-toxisch, gemakkelijk verkrijgbaar en goedkoop is. Door de enorme oppervlakte van de wegverhardingen en de nabijheid van de uitlaatgassen van auto's wordt het fotokatalytisch vermogen van asfaltwegdekken als veelbelovend voor de luchtzuivering genoemd. TiO2 is in staat om onder UV-licht (slechts 3-5% van het zonnespectrum) te reageren met vervuilende gassen, zoals NOx en SO2, waardoor respectievelijk in water oplosbare nitraten en sulfaten ontstaan, die door de regen gemakkelijk van de asfaltverharding worden verwijderd. Het heeft ook het potentieel om roet, (gemorste) olie en vluchtige organische stoffen (VOS) af te breken. In dit project willen we i) de effecten van het verkeer op de fotokatalytische efficiëntie verder onderzoeken, ii) mogelijke negatieve effecten op de verkeersveiligheid bepalen (slipweerstand) en iii) een in-situ testopstelling ontwikkelen om de NOx-reductie te meten.

Onderzoeker(s)

Promotor: Vuye Cedric

Geautomatiseerde inspectie van infrastructuur aan de hand van drones (AUTODRONE)

Abstract

The aim of the AutoDrone project is to facilitate the inspection of infrastructure (like wind turbines, bridges, roads, etc.) by using camera images recorded from a drone. To do this we focus on the following three objectives: 

  • Development of a machine learning workflow to automatically detect damage in the recorded images
  • Development of a tool that allows monitoring of the condition of infrastructure after successive drone inspections
  • Research on Photogrammetry tools to build a 3D model of a structure

The project is performed by UAntwerpen (Op3Mech & EMIB research groups) and WTCB, together with a large consortium of companies active in drone-based inspections or owners of infrastructure.

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Onderzoeker(s)

Zinc-CO-Sink - Reduced Zinc leaching from crumb rubber

Abstract

In this project, two possible solutions to reduce zinc leaching to soil and groundwater are investigated: using 1) coatings, and 2) sorbents.

Different research groups from UAntwerp will investigate the first possible solution (coatings). In the first phase of the project (6 months), mainly commercially available coatings will be tested, in order to narrow the possible candidates which can be optimized further in phase II of the project (18 months).Suppliers of existing commercially available coatings do not guarantee a service life of 20 years. Furthermore, it is unknown how effective they are when used on crumb rubber (CR) and how they will affect the leaching of metals such as zinc, taking into account the effects of UV, change of temperatures, and rainfall over a period of 20 years (ageing). Another essential requirement is the fact that the coated CR should not conglomerate or stick together as this will complicate the processing of the material.

A second, innovative, proposed solution will be investigated by VITO and consists of the use of sorbents. The main idea here is that sorbent materials will absorb the zinc which is leached from the CR by rainfall. For this part of the project, it is crucial to determine the overall quantity of zinc that will leach out during a period of 20 years, but more importantly, the kinetics of this zinc leaching, as the sorbent materials must be capable of capturing all zinc during the periods of “heavy” leaching. This will be determined first on a small scale in phase I of the project, and then validated on a full-scale prototype in phase II.

The first phase of this project consists of a feasibility study of 6 months to determine if a viable solution for the leaching of zinc will be available, either with coatings, sorbents or even a combination.

Researchers

Funding organisations

Partners


PAPPoA - Photocatalytic Asphalt Pavements for the Port of Antwerp (PAPPoA): a feasibility study

Abstract

Asphalt pavements need to be able to withstand the effects of weather (i.e. UV, rain, and freeze-thaw cycles) and (heavy) traffic loading during their service life, while maintaining the necessary mechanical performance, e.g. limited rutting, fatigue resistance and water resistance, and providing comfortable and safe driving conditions in terms of the surface properties, taking into account mostly skid resistance and texture. Recently, not only investigations related to the mechanical performance or overall environmental impact of asphalt pavements are conducted, but more attention is given towards smart pavements, e.g. photocatalytic pavements. In most cases, TiO2 nanoparticles (semiconductor material) are used in the field of photocatalysis for many purposes, mostly for air and water-pollutant photocatalytic degradation, as it is effective, non-toxic, easily available and cheap. Due to the huge surface area of road pavements and its vicinity to the exhaust gases from automobiles, the photocatalytic capability is quoted as promising for air-cleaning. TiO2 is able to react under UV-light (only 3-5% of the sunlight spectrum) with pollutant gases, such as NOx and SO2, creating water-soluble nitrates and sulfates respectively, which are easily removed from the asphalt pavement by rain. It also has the potential to degrade soot, (spilled) oil and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

In this project, we want to: 

  • further investigate further the effects of traffic on the photocatalytic efficiency
  • determine possible effects on traffic safety (skid resistance)
  • develop an in-situ test setup to measure the NOx reduction.

Researchers

Funding organisation

Partners

CRUMPave - Crumb Rubber modified pavements

Abstract

The main aim of this research is to identify the barriers preventing the use of recycled tire rubber in Belgian asphalt road surfaces and to develop market-ready solutions that can be presented to road authorities.

The main expected results within the second phase of this project are the following: scaling up of the rubber modified bitumen to asphalt applications, leaching tests, analysis of the recyclability and an LCA/LCC study of rubber modified asphalt. The final work package includes the necessary follow-up steps to install the final product in one or more test tracks and finally get it approved for the Belgian market.

Researchers

Funding organisations

Deskundigengroep - Beoordeling van nieuwe voorstellen inzake crumb rubber

Abstract

Beoordeling van nieuwe Crumb rubber (CR) -voorstellen voor Green.er. De doelstellingen van dit project zijn de volgende: 1. Een samenvatting van de relevante wetgeving bij het gebruik van kruimelrubber als bouwmateriaal voor Vlaanderen, Wallonië, Brussel en de Europese Unie; 2. Een "position paper" over ecotoxiciteit met betrekking tot de mogelijke risico's van combinaties van toxische stoffen, zelfs wanneer de afzonderlijke verontreinigingen binnen hun in de wetgeving opgenomen kwaliteitsnormen vallen. Het document zal informatie geven over ecotoxicologische risico's van projecten waarbij CR wordt gebruikt. De paper zal zich toeleggen op de wetgeving en de methodes voor de beoordeling van ecotoxicologische risico's; 3. Een checklist voor nieuwe aanvragers met betrekking tot milieuoverwegingen (uitloging, VOC-emissies, ecotoxiciteit, ...); 4. Beoordeling van nieuwe projectvoorstellen voor Greener door een groep van deskundigen, beperkt tot de potentiële milieueffecten.

Researchers

Funding organisations

CRUMBit - Crumb rubber in Belgian roads

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to identify the barriers which inhibit currently the use of tyre-derived crumb rubber in Belgian asphalt roads and to develop different market-ready solutions that can be introduced to the road authorities.The main expected results for phase I of this research are the following: detection of possible toxicity and health issues when using crumb rubber as bitumen modification (e.g. measurement of the volatile organic compounds or VOCs) and comparison of the mechanical and rheological properties of crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRmB) with commercial polymer modified bitumen (PmB).

Researchers

Funding organisations