Recycling Crumb Rubber Modified Asphalt Pavements (1333-1F)

There has been concern that the legislative mandate to use waste rubber in paving applications will result in a severe environmental problem when it becomes necessary to recycle these pavements. If successful recycling is possible, the long term performance of these pavements becomes a concern. The results of this study indicate that it is possible to recycle this material. However, some techniques for conventional asphalt mixture design, material processing, and construction must be modified to ensure this success, and some techniques may not be appropriate when waste rubber is present in the mixture to be recycled. Many of the results presented in this study are based on experiences in Tyler and San Antonio, Texas, where two of the earliest crumb rubber recycling operations in the United States have transpired.