Suggested Citation:
Han, Yuzhao, Hui Li, Saad Khan, John T. Harvey, Angel Mateos, Cong Ma, Lei Wang (2026)

Thermo-Mechanical Upcycling of Waste Rubber-Polyethylene Into Asphalt: Performance Optimization and GHG Mitigation

Upcycling of end-of-life tires and polyethylene plastic enables sustainable reuse while upgrading asphalt, yet their thermodynamic incompatibility with asphalt has hindered application. Here, this paper demonstrated a thermo-mechanical activation method that synthesizes a homogeneous thermoplastic rubber-polyethylene elastomer (TRPE). The physicochemical structure of TRPE and rheological behavior of asphalt were evaluated to map the relations between activation, modifier and asphalt. The cradle-to-construction GHG emission was evaluated. The results show that thermo-mechanical activation disrupts sulfur networks, shortens polymer chains and enriches polar groups, with temperature emerging as the dominant factor. These changes remodel TRPE structure and influence binder rheological behavior within wide temperature and frequency range. Growing degree of activation increases the temperature susceptibility of asphalt, while moderate activation delivers a viscoelastic balance and well-rounded enhancement of physical properties. GHG assessment shows TRPE exhibits 20 % lower emissions than SBS at the modifier level, and a 7.5 % reduction at the pavement level.