Is Sulfur an “Eco-friendly and Low-carbon” Material for Permanent Structures of Transport Infrastructure? Experience and Prospects
Stanislav Mamulat1*, Yuriy Vasiliev2, Alexey Vasiliev2 and Yuriy Mamulat3
1Department of World Economy, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russia
2Department of Road building materials, Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI), Moscow, Russia
3Higher School of Engineering “New Materials and Technologies”, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russia
*Corresponding Author: Stanislav Mamulat1, Department of World Economy, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russia.
Published: March 06, 2025
Abstract
In the Russian Federation, the positive balance of production/consumption of technical sulfur is increasing, which contributes to the consideration of the use of sulfur as a low-carbon binder in the production of large-tonnage building materials and products. The successes achieved in the modification of technical sulfur [5] not only make it possible to produce high-strength chemically and moisture-resistant products from it, but also to start developing materials for road surfaces. Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI), after successfully conducting pilot tests of sulfur modification processes and the production of road slabs from modified sulfur concrete and composite reinforcement, is preparing a pilot industrial production of sulfur concrete mixtures. This opens up wide opportunities for the creation and testing of innovative technologies for the production of sulfur concrete road surfaces, making the most of the advantages of grey concrete as a thermoplastic material. Such a promising technological direction is the heating of pre-prepared sulfur concrete mixtures at the installation site using microwave induction installations and additives developed for the repair of induction-susceptible asphalt concrete coatings [3]. The article provides an analysis of the results achieved in the development of appropriate modified sulfur binders and samples of sulfur concrete based on them, as well as the formulation of research and technological tasks related to the development of compositions and structures of coatings from modified sulfur concrete mixtures specialized for the technology of their microwave heating and laying directly "on the road". The successful solution of these tasks can ensure the creation of a new highly efficient technology for the construction and repair of modified road concrete pavements with a minimum carbon footprint throughout the entire life cycle. The thermoplastic nature of the sulfur binder, which opens up the possibility of its reusable repair and recycling, allows us to hope for the most important prospects for its joint use with microwave induction technologies as the main type of binder for the Arctic territories.
Keywords: Sulfur concrete; Sulfur concrete mixture; Modified sulfur binder; Road pavement; UHF induction
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