International Journal of Pavement Engineering

ISSN: 1029-8436 (Print) 1477-268X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gpav20

Laboratory evaluation of seashells used as fine

aggregate in hot mix asphalt

Gaby Ruiz, Francisco Chávez, Stephanie Santamaría, William Araujo, Jorge

Timaná & Robert Schmitt

To cite this article: Gaby Ruiz, Francisco Chávez, Stephanie Santamaría, William Araujo, Jorge
Timaná & Robert Schmitt (2018): Laboratory evaluation of seashells used as fine aggregate in hot
mix asphalt, International Journal of Pavement Engineering, DOI: 10.1080/10298436.2018.1502435

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10298436.2018.1502435

Published online: 26 Jul 2018.

Submit your article to this journal

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=gpav20
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAVEMENT ENGINEERING
https://doi.org/10.1080/10298436.2018.1502435

Laboratory evaluation of seashells used as fine aggregate in hot mix asphalt

a b b
Gaby Ruiz , Francisco Chávez , Stephanie Santamaría , William Araujoa, Jorge Timanáa and Robert Schmittc
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Universidad de Piura, Piura, Peru; bUndergraduate Student, Civil Engineering Program, Universidad de Piura, Piura,
Peru; cDepartment of Civil Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Platteville, WI, USA

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Oyster farming annually generates millions of empty hard seashells as by-product waste in municipal Received 29 January 2018
landfills worldwide. Using this waste as fine and coarse aggregates as construction materials offers a Accepted 14 July 2018
low energy consumption alternative to recycling and mining of virgin materials. This research explores
KEYWORDS
the use of seashell as a cost-effective replacement of virgin fine aggregate in hot mix asphalt (HMA). HMA; seashell; permanent
The properties of HMA mixtures with seashells were investigated using indirect tensile strength, deformation; moisture
permanent deformation and moisture susceptibility tests; tests used in standard practice in Perú. The susceptibility; waste
results indicate that seashells can be used as fine aggregate improving the indirect tensile strength management
and the permanent deformation of HMA. Seashells in the asphalt mixture reduced moisture
susceptibility compared to conventional HMA, with an increase of tensile strength ratio (TSR) values of
22–262%, a very important finding since with areas of Perú recently experiencing severe flooding
events where seashells have the potential to reduce stripping. The laboratory study also showed that
seashell sizes of 300–2.36 mm yielded highest TSR values. Replacement of fine aggregate with
seashells increases total HMA cost by about 2.9–4.6%.

1. Introduction
The construction and maintenance of roads causes depletion of
natural aggregates. The generation of seashells from oyster
farming offers an opportunity to use by-product waste as a
higher performing cost-effective alternative to natural aggre-
gates. Oyster farming is an expanding economic activity world-
wide that annually discards large quantities of empty hard
seashell as waste in municipal landfills (Poicón 2014). In
Sechura, Northern Perú, where more than 80% of seashells
are harvested and processed, up to 25,000 metric tons of
empty hard seashell are discarded annually as waste in munici-
pal landfills (Vaahen et al. 2017). These residues are accumu-
lated in open-dump sites, where it becomes a source of
environmental damage and pollution due to unpleasant
odours, insects and fungi (Yoon et al. 2003; Yang et al. 2005;
Ohimain et al. 2009; Yang et al. 2010; Chieringhini et al.
2011; Her-Yung et al. 2011; Kuo et al. 2013; Richardson and
Fuller 2013). Since the seashells are primarily generated in
northern regions of Perú, added handling and transportation
costs are 85% higher than mining aggregates at pits and quar-
ries located near or at asphalt batch plants.
Environmental management for the cleaner disposal of by-
product waste is insufficient, as it requires substantial land
for its disposal. This problem implies the provision of dump-
sites and additional management strategies from authorities.
Using by-product waste as construction materials offers a low
energy consumption alternative to recycling (Ohimain et al.
2009; Safiuddin et al. 2010; Chieringhini et al. 2011).
Hot mix asphalt (HMA) concrete is a combination of aggre-
gate (the structural skeleton), asphalt binder (to bind aggre-
gates) and air voids. In a typical HMA mixture, aggregate
generally makes up about 95% by weight. An alternative to
natural deposits or from crushed rocks is to include waste
by-products such as fine aggregate replacement in asphalt mix-
tures, whenever its properties are adequate. Key properties
required by wastes as aggregates are particle gradation, particle
shape and surface texture, cleanliness, hardness and certain
chemical composition (Brown et al. 1989; Balghunaim 1990;
Terrel and Al-Swailmi 1994; Khedaywi and Tons 1998; Prowell
et al. 2005; Wang et al. 2010).
Recent research highlights the influence of chemical com-
position of aggregates on the durability of HMA. The
adhesion between the aggregates and the asphalt binder is a
function of the chemical relationship of the aggregates and
the binder (Horgnies et al. 2011). In environments with
some humidity, the surface of the aggregate is polarised
depending on its nature, which can be acidic or basic (Buckley
et al. 1989; Buckley and Liu 1998; Wang et al. 2010). Ionic
species made from silica tend to be more soluble in water
and exhibit high moisture sensitivity. On the contrary, the
ionic species made of calcium or magnesium appears to be
less soluble in water and could promote the adhesion with
bitumen (Buckley and Liu 1998). Seashells have a very high
calcium content presenting an opportunity to increase
adhesion and moisture resistance.
The use of seashell as aggregate has been developed in Port-
land cement concrete (PCC) but not HMA (Falade 1995; Yang
et al. 2005; García et al. 2009; Yang et al. 2010; Chieringhini
et al. 2011; Her-Yung et al. 2011; Richardson and Fuller 2013;
Safi et al. 2015; Varhen et al. 2017). Apart from one previous
report of seashell as filler in HMA (Arabani et al. 2014), there
has been little published research, despite the improvement in

CONTACT Gaby Ruiz gaby.ruiz@udep.pe

© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
2 G. RUIZ ET AL.

fatigue life and permanent deformation, as well as lower moist- 2. Materials and experimental design
ure susceptibility than conventional HMA.
2.1. Aggregate and asphalt
In the majority of investigations carried out in PCC mix-
tures, where the fine aggregate has been replaced by seashells, Coarse aggregate was obtained from Sojo Mine and fine aggre-
it has been concluded that a replacement limit applies, depend- gate from Cerro Mocho Mine, both commercial alluvial banks
ing on the particle size from crushing, and the resulting of materials located near Piura, Peru. The aggregate is a mix of
decrease of resistance to compression and workability. Fine sandstone, granite and quartz (Chávez 2016). Gravel is river
aggregate replacement appears to be an effective alternative to stone crushed to reduce from 8 to 2 cm sizes and also to
the inclusion of seashell in PCC mixtures, instead, coarse aggre- increase the number of fractured faces. Physical properties of
gate replacement seems to be less effective because of the lami- aggregates are shown in Table 1. Blended aggregate gradation
nated shape of the particles of shell, reducing workability and is shown in Table 2 (the limits of AASHTO specifications for
the ability to reorient the aggregates and requiring more pro- dense aggregate gradation). It corresponds to a fine-graded
portion of paste for effective bonding with aggregates (Falade dense-graded mix. The nominal maximum aggregate size of
1995; Richardson and Fuller 2013). Even García et al. (2009) the gradation used in the current investigation was 19.0 mm.
also determined that seashell cannot be considered as coarse In all the mixtures, 60/70 penetration grade asphalt binder
aggregate replacements because the characteristics of seashells was obtained from PetroPerú refineries. Only one penetration
do not match those established for the coarse aggregate used grade is used throughout the country of Perú, thus only one
in structural concrete. In large sizes, particles are more flat binder grade was evaluated. The asphalt binder was character-
and elongated, and detrimental to the structural stability of ised by conventional test methods, such as penetration test, the
concrete. So, all these results indicate that if the seashells softening point test and a ductility test. The engineering prop-
work in PCC mixtures, they could also contribute under certain erties are presented in Table 3.
parameters as aggregates in asphalt mixtures.
On the other hand, the seashell shape can introduce more
voids within the aggregate skeleton. For a typical dense-graded 2.2. Seashell waste
HMA, more than 8% of air voids by volume may allow water to Seashell was collected from a municipal landfill in the province
easily permeate and can cause moisture damage by loss of of Sechura, Perú, due to availability and proximity to the
adhesion and stripping away of the asphalt film. It is well docu- research lab. The seashell corresponds to the Peruvian Scallop
mented that granite and other metamorphic aggregates are very family (Figure 1). Seashells were washed with water by hand
strip-prone (Wang et al. 2010), while seashells may be less to remove dirt and organic waste, air dried and manually
strip-prone (Wheaton 2007). crushed. It was then separated into size ranges to facilitate
Seashells are composed primarily of calcium carbonate the aggregate replacement. Chemical characterisation of PSS
(Wheaton 2007) and ionic species formed by calcium and mag- using the XRF technique is presented in Table 4.
nesium appear to be less soluble with water, which can lead to
greater adhesion with the asphalt than granitic aggregates. Table 1. Physical properties of the aggregates and PSS.
Research by Wheaton (2007) on oyster shells, in Eastern U.S. Natural Natural Crushed seashell
coastal waters, used photo-thermal infrared radiometry Test Standard gravel sand (2.38–0.074 mm)
methods to measure thermal properties and internal compo- Specific gravity ASTM C 127
(coarse)
sition. The oyster shells are composed primarily of calcium car- Bulk 2.666
bonate and a matrix of conchiolin. Calcium is primarily calcite SSD 2.696
with some presence of aragonite. Apparent 2.748
Specific gravity ASTM C 128
The aim of this paper concerns in analysing the feasibility of (fine)
using crushed Peruvian Scallop Seashell (PSS) as aggregate repla- Bulk 2.541 2.442
cement in the fabrication of HMA. The PSS is made primarily SSD 2.573 2.452
Apparent 2.625 2.466
(90%) by calcium carbonate (CaCO3) which can improve the Magnesium AASHTO T 0.8 8.3 3.3
adhesion with the asphalt binder and reduce the moisture sus- sulphate 104
ceptibility. Moreover, the angular shape of seashell particles in soundness (%)
Absorption (%) AASHTO T 1.1 1.27 0.8
small sizes can contribute to the stability and deformation 85 / T 84
response of the HMA. Therefore, a characterisation of seashell Los Angeles ASTM C 131 12.62 – –
as aggregate on HMA was performed using the Marshall stability abrasion (%)
Flat and elongated ASTM D 2 – –
and flow, indirect tensile test (ITS) and static creep tests to assess particles (%) 4791
the effect of seashells on HMA performance. These tests are Sand equivalent (%) AASHTO T – 37 88
common to the Peruvian paving industry and currently accepted 176
Fine aggregate AASHTO T – 44 53
as standard practice. Of course more advanced testing technol- angularity 304
ogies are available, such as a family of simple performance
tests (SPT), this Phase 1 study used the aforementioned tests
as performance measures. Furthermore, this paper represents Table 2. Gradation of aggregates used in the present study.
the preliminary evaluation of PSS as a fine aggregate replace- Sieve (mm) 25.0 19.0 4.75 2.36 0.30 0.150 0.075
ment, and if the results are favourable using standard test prac- Lower–upper limits 100 90–100 35–65 23–49 5–19 3–13 2–8
tices, SPTs are planned in Phase 2 research. Passing (%) 100 97 51 45 15 8 4
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAVEMENT ENGINEERING 3

Table 3. Test results for 60–70 penetration asphalt binder. weight of PSS in the same sizes. PSS is included without chan-
Test Standard Result ging the gradation of natural aggregates.
Penetration (100 g, 5 s, 25°C), 0.1 mm ASTM D5-73 69 A detailed description of the replacements is shown in
Penetration (200 g, 60 s, 4°C), 0.1 mm ASTM D5-73 50 Table 5. Percentage of the total replacement by mass value cor-
Penetration ratio ASTM D5-73 0.725
Ductility (25°C, 5 cm/min), cm ASTM D113-79 >150 responds to the same percentage of natural sand in the range
Solubility in trichloroethylene (%) ASTM D2042-76 99.3 present in the mixture (Table 2). No additional mineral filler
Softening point (°C) ASTM D36-76 49 was used on the mixtures at this stage of research. However,
Flash point (°C) ASTM D92-78 300
Loss on heating (%) ASTM D1754-78 0.11 a filler is planned in the next phase of research to replicate
Penetration (100 g, 5 s, 25°C), 0.1 mm ASTM D5-73 59 dust generated during crushing operations and not fully
Specific gravity at 25°C (g/cm3) ASTM D70-76 1.086 removed using log washers and sand classifiers.
Viscosity at 135°C (cSt) ASTM D2170-85 350
The asphalt concrete mixture was based on the Marshall mix
design. (As noted earlier, this test procedure is standard prac-
2.3. Specimen preparation tice to the Peruvian paving industry, and Superpave is planned
for Phase 2 research.) Two series of concentrations of binder
Four asphalt concrete mixtures were investigated. The first were fabricated. The first series of specimens contained five
mixture was standard HMA mixture containing all natural different concentrations of binder to determine the optimal
aggregates and was designated as the control mix (CM). In binder content using N = 75 blows. The second series was pro-
the other three mixtures, PSS was used as a partial fine aggre- duced at the optimal binder content to evaluate the HMA
gate replacement levels of 4%, 7% and 30%. A non-linear repla- mechanistic properties. For each aggregate blend and asphalt
cement was designed to allow greater sensitivity at lower binder content, three replicate samples were produced.
concentration levels based on earlier research and initial field
production in Phase 2 research. The total replacement of fine
aggregate was designed to not alter the CM aggregate gradation. 3. Testing programme
Certain residues as coarse or fine aggregates can cause undesir-
3.1. Marshall stability and flow test
able changes in particle size distribution of aggregate mixtures
(Arabani et al. 2013, Varhen et al. 2017). In these cases, total The objective of the Marshall test was to evaluate the effect of
weight of sand in a certain size range is changed by the same PSS on the Marshall stability and to determine the influence

Figure 1. Personal during collection of seashell of Peruvian Scallop from municipal landfill.

Table 4. The chemical composition of the crushed PSS.

Sieve (mm) SiO2 CaO Al2O3 MgO Fe2O3 Na2O K2O SO3 L.I.a
PSS 0.10 53.70 0.10 0.18 0.03 0.50 0.01 0.32 44.4
a
Loss of ignition.

Table 5. Replacement of sand by PSS on mixes investigated.

Mixtures Coarse aggregate Fine aggregate Sizes replacement % total replacement by mass Maximum unit weight (kg/m3) Maximum specific gravity, Gs
CM Gravel Sand - - 1724 2.54
M1 Gravel Sand + PSS 2.36–0.30 mm 30 1496 2.51
M2 Gravel Sand + PSS 0.30–0.15 mm 7 1644 2.50
M3 Gravel Sand + PSS 0.15–0.074 mm 4 1702 2.47
4 G. RUIZ ET AL.
of the size of crushing. Marshall stability and flow tests were
carried out on compacted specimens with five binder contents,
according to ASTM D1559. The maximum bulk specific gravity
and maximum stability were used to determine the optimal
asphaltic content (OAC). At the obtained OACs, the flow,
voids in the total mixture (VTM), the voids filled with asphalt
(VFA) and voids in mineral aggregates (VMA) were calculated.
The Marshall quotient (MQ) was calculated as the ratio of
stability (kN) to flow (mm). This ratio is an indicator of the
stiffness of the mixture and can be also useful as a measure of
the resistance to shear stress, permanent deformation and rut-
ting (Arabani and Azarhoosh 2012). Higher values of MQ indi-
cate that the asphalt mix presents a high degree of stiffness and
is susceptible to disperse the applied load and resist creep
deformation.
3.2. Static creep test
The resistance to permanent deformation can be evaluated by
static creep tests. For the static creep test, the creep deformation
of a cylindrical specimen under a uniaxial static load is
measured as a function of time. The test was performed for
all mixtures at the optimal dosage of asphalt binder. The uniax-
ial load was 30 psi (207 kPa) for unconfined samples, the temp-
erature was 40°C and the load duration was 10,000 s (∼3 h).
3.3. Tensile strength ratio
Susceptibility to moisture is considered to be a good indicator
of the bonding strength of aggregates with the binder (Wang
et al. 2010). The moisture susceptibility of HMA was evaluated
by performing the tensile strength ratio (TSR) test in accord-
ance with AASHTO T283 (2007). Cylindrical specimens at
6–8% air voids were tested in dry and wet conditions at 25°C.
The samples in wet conditions were placed in a vacuum to
reach the saturation level of 70–80%. Vacuum-saturated
samples were wrapped with plastic film and placed in a plastic
bag in a −18°C freezer for 16 h, and then placed in a 60°C water
bath for 24 h. All the samples were brought to a constant temp-
erature of 25°C and the ITS was measured on both uncondi-
tioned (dry) and conditioned (wet) specimens. A load is
applied to the specimen by forcing the bearing plates together
at a constant rate of 2 in. (50 mm) per minute (AASHTO
Figure 2. Grains of crushed seashell in the sizes used in this research: (a) 2.38–1.20 mm; (b) 1.20–0.60 mm; (c) 0.60–0.30 mm; (d) 0.30–0.15 mm.
2007). The ITS value is calculated using the following equation:
2000P
S= , (1)
pDt
where S is the ITS, kPa; P is the maximum vertical load, kN; D is
the specimen diameter, mm and t is the mean thickness of the
specimen, mm.
The TSR was calculated using the following equation:
Scond
TSR = , (2)
Suncond
where Scond is the average ITS of the wet specimens and Suncond
is the average ITS of dry specimens.
Values of TSR near to 1.0 would suggest an excellent resist-
ance to moisture effects on HMA.
4. Results and discussion
4.1. Aggregate results
As expected, Gs values decreased with inclusion of PSS on the
mixtures. These results are due to the lower specific gravity
of PSS compared with the natural sand, but also due to the
elongated shape of the seashell particles. This is confirmed
with angularity of PSS higher than natural sand.
By comparison, Xie et al. (2017) found that the morphologi-
cal characteristics of aggregate significantly affect the mechan-
ical performance of asphalt pavement. So, special attention was
applied to these characteristics of seashell grains. A simple
visual analysis of the PSS particles confirms that in between
150 and 300 µm range size, the particles are needle shape and
laminates, while larger or smaller, tend to be quite cubical
shaped (Figure 2). In smaller sizes, particles are similar to a
powder with behaviour similar to filler. In larger sizes, thickness
of particles causes PSS to behave as coarser sand. This also
influences the angularity of the PSS compared with natural
sand, increasing the spaces between the particles in the total
mass.
PSS with virgin aggregate has higher hardness values than
virgin aggregate. Soundness values were lower than natural
sand. This result suggests PSS as having sufficient hardness to
the exposure to traffic loads and resistance to environmental
damage. PSS has less absorption than natural sand. Higher
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAVEMENT ENGINEERING 5

sand equivalent value of the PSS contributes to a better adher-
ence with asphalt binder than natural sand.
4.2. Marshall stability test results
The objective of the Marshall test was to evaluate the effect of
PSS on stability. The results for the tested samples are presented
in Table 6. The presence of PSS increased the OAC values due
to the lower specific gravity and the higher angularity of par-
ticles. More binder is required to cover more surfaces of
particles in the mixture, due to smaller PSS particle size and
increased surface area.
The relationship between the Marshall parameters and the
type of mixture is provided in Figure 3. The M1 mixture (30%
of PSS between 300 µm and 2.36 mm) and M2 mixture (7% of
PSS between 150 and 300 µm) samples had lower Marshall stab-
ility values than control mixture. It can be explained because of
the higher asphalt content and higher air voids in the total mass.
However, in both cases, this reduction does not exceed the 15%.
As coarse fine aggregate (M1), PSS can increase the air voids and

Table 6. Marshall design results.

Mixture OAC (%) Air void (%) VMA (%) VFA (%) Specific weight Marshall stability (kN) Flow (mm) MQ (kN/mm)
CM 5.25 4.41 15.9 72.3 2.3 12.0 3.05 3.946
M1 5.75 8.60 20.5 58.1 2.2 11.1 7.60 1.463
M2 5.50 3.71 15.8 76.4 2.3 10.6 4.13 2.562
M3 5.68 1.58 14.2 88.9 2.3 19.7 4.00 4.935

Figure 3. Effects of PSS on the Marshall parameters.

6 G. RUIZ ET AL.

requires more OAC to keep similar stability and more flow than
control mixture. As fine sand (M2), PSS requires more OAC but
reduces the air voids. Both mixtures result in plastic and ductile
materials, but still resistant to shear stress, permanent defor-
mation and rutting unless these mixtures displayed less stability
and higher flow than control mixture.
The M3 mixture (4% of PSS between 75 and 150 µm) had
the highest Marshall stability value. This increase in the stab-
ility may be explained by the small size of PSS. In this range
of sizes, PSS particles are almost powder, acting as a filler, creat-
ing a denser mixture, with a higher both stability and flow. As
noted earlier, this requires higher asphalt content (OAC) due to
increased surface area. However, this mixture displayed the
Figure 5. Permanent strain versus fine aggregate angularity of mixtures.
highest MQ value, which is a measure of the material’s resist-
ance to shear stress, permanent deformation and rutting.

4.3. Static creep test results

The values of the static creep are shown Figure 4. The results of
the static creep tests show that the samples containing PSS had
less permanent deformation than the control mixtures. Thus,
addition of PSS in the mixture resulted in reductions of perma-
nent deformation by 65% to 14%. It is also noticed that the
more reductions are achieved with PSS in sizes of 300 µm to
2.36 mm. This test showed that the best PSS placement in
reduction of permanent deformation was the replacement of
coarse fine aggregate. Because PSS is more angular than natural
aggregate, this addition generated high frictional and abrasion
resistance in the resulting asphalt mixtures (Figure 5). Another
important factor is the air VTM that produces more permanent
deformation at the early stages (less than 1000 s) but reducing it
at later stages. It is explained by the space available between the
particles that facilitate the movement of the particles to
improve the arrangement after that, there is no space available
and deformation is reduced. So, better performance can be
expected in extended lifetime of HMA.
4.4. TSR results
The ITS values of the mixtures under unconditioned and
moisture conditions are shown in Figure 6. It was observed
that the ITS values of the dry mixtures are lower than the con-
trol mixture. This can be explained by the less absorption of the
Figure 4. Time versus deformation in the static creep test.
Figure 6. Tensile strength of dry and wet specimens.
PSS than natural fine aggregate or the higher OACs values.
Wang et al. (2010) found that ITS of asphalt concrete was
reduced with the increase of OAC values in mixes with strip-
prone aggregates. The higher OACs values are required because
the angular shape of PSS particles, but this asphalt seems to be
still low to create enough thickness film over the grains to sup-
port tension strength. Also, it corresponds to the Marshall
results, as addition of PSS reduces the deformation capacity
of the HMA.
On the other hand, it was observed that the ITS values of the
wet mixes are lower than the ones of dry mixes at the end of the
loading test. This was expected because the presence of water
causes a reduction in asphalt–aggregate adhesion, and thus,
the strength of HMA samples decreased under loading. But
in all cases, ITS values in wet condition were higher than the
control mixture, indicating a better resistance against moisture
damage and a better adhesion between aggregate and binder.
Unless all mixtures with PSS had higher air void than control
mixture (that facilitate the penetration of water), there are
not detrimental effects on the adhesion and the stress–strain-
strength behaviour.
Figure 7 shows the TSR for specimens prepared with PSS
and control mixture. The data also show that the uncondi-
tioned and conditioned TSR is significantly improved with
the addition of PSS. This improvement is higher if the PSS is
used as coarse fine aggregate and it is less noticeable if used
in less range of sizes. All of the TSR values of the mixtures
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAVEMENT ENGINEERING 7

Table 7. Cost comparison of HMA mixtures without and with seashell

replacement.
Conventional HMA mixture
without seashell Conventional HMA mixture
Cost component replacement with seashell replacement
Asphalt Binder $280/ton × 5.25% = $14.70/ $280/ton × 5.70% = $15.96/
ton ton
Coarse Aggregate $12.40/ton × 0.6 = $7.44/ $12.40/ton × 0.6 = $7.44/ton
(60% of mix) ton
Fine Aggregate $12.40/ton × 0.4 = $4.96/ $12.40/ton × 0.4 × 0.93 =
(60% of mix) ton $4.62/ton (virgin aggregate)
$22.94/ton × 0.4 × 0.07 =
$0.64/ton (seashell
replacement at 7%)
Plant Mixing $10/ton $10/ton
Trucking $8/ton $8/ton
Figure 7. TSR results. Trucking $8/ton $8/ton
Incidentals (QC, $2/ton $2/ton
etc.)
Totals $55.10/ton $56.66/ton
were well below 80% since no anti-strip additive is currently
specified. However, from a relative standpoint, the addition
of PSS to mixtures resulted in the increase of TSR by 262%,
141% and 22%, respectively, compared with the control mix- 5. Conclusions
ture. This is a very important finding, especially with pave-
ments in Perú subject to heavy rainfall during the El Niño The objectives of this study were to explore the feasibility of
phenomenon. Pavements in Perú subject to higher precipi- using crushed seashell (PSS) as aggregate replacement in the
tation levels can benefit with the addition of seashell replace- fabrication of HMA and the improvement of the moisture sus-
ment in HMA mixtures. The mixture with PSS in range of ceptibility because of better adhesion with the asphalt binder. In
size of 300 µm to 2.36 mm had the highest TSR value, indicat- this study, seashells of Peruvian Scallop were used. Using sea-
ing that seashells could be good anti-stripping. shells of different sizes can result in different effects on HMA
mixtures. The HMAs containing seashell was laboratory pre-
pared with one source of aggregate and one type of binder,
60/70-penetration grade. Tensile strength and static creep
4.5. Cost comparison tests were used to evaluate the characteristics of HMA by vary-
A comparison was made between the cost of producing an ing the content of seashells in different size range of total repla-
HMA mixture with and without seashell replacement using cement. Although advanced performance tests have been
recent Peruvian pricing data and exchange rate (S./3.225 Peru- developed, the test methods chosen for this study are consistent
vian Soles per $1 USD). Reclaimed asphalt pavement was with standard Peruvian practices and can be readily applied to
omitted for the comparison. Primary cost components having include seashell replacement. Based on laboratory test results,
a cost difference with seashell replacement include an the following conclusions were drawn for seashell fine aggre-
additional 85% handling and transportation costs for shipping gate replacement:
seashells to asphalt batch plants, and the added binder cost for
increased seashell surface area (5.25% up to 5.70%). Cost com- . Increased asphalt content. Using seashells in HMA increased
ponents having little or no negligible cost differences are crush- the OAC from 5.25% to 5.70% since the angularity of the
ing costs (cone, roller or impact), plant mixing, HMA trucking particles is higher and the surface was much greater than
and laydown. Median values were chosen for plant mixing that of natural aggregate. However, theses increments are
(equipment depreciation, maintenance/repair, burner fuel), still relatively low at values less than 0.5%, but can increase
HMA trucking (over 50 mile haul in moderate traffic) and lay- total produced HMA cost by about $1.25/ton.
down (paver, material transfer device, three rollers, water truck, . Increased flow. Seashells influenced the mechanical proper-
tack truck), and quality control at the plant and laydown oper- ties of the asphalt mixtures by increasing the flow and the
ation and pavement smoothness measurement. Table 7 pre- air voids when used as coarse fine aggregate, producing a
sents a cost breakdown. more plastic and ductile mixture than control mixture.
A conventional HMA mixture can be produced and placed . Increased stability. Seashells in smaller sizes than 1 mm can
for about $55.10/ton, while a seashell fine aggregate replace- reduce the air voids and increase both the stability and the
ment of 7% is estimated at $56.66/ton. This cost increase of flow, producing a rigid mixture compared to the control
$1.56/ton for seashell replacement equates to a price increase mixture having standard mineral aggregate.
of 2.9%. If a 30% fine aggregate replacement can be successfully . Reduced permanent deformation. Static creep tests showed
engineered for performance, the added cost of $2.53/ton, or the addition of seashell as fine aggregate can reduce the per-
increase of 4.6%. The benefits associated with this added sea- manent deformation of the mixtures.
shell replacement cost include increased pavement life with . Greater aggregate–binder adhesion. Results of the indirect
improvement resistance to deformation and moisture. How- tensile strength test suggest seashells result in a less value
ever, an actual field study is necessary to quantify whether an than CM in dry condition, but a higher in wet mixes because
increased life of 2.9–4.6% can be achieved. of the better aggregate–binder adhesion.
8 G. RUIZ ET AL.
. More resistant to stripping. Unless all mixtures with seashells
had higher air void than control mixture (that facilitate the
penetration of water), mixtures with seashells had better
resistance against the effect of stripping than the control
mixture.
. Increase in TSR values. Replacement with seashells resulted
in the increase of TSR by 262%, 141% and 22% compared
with the control mixture. This is a very important finding,
especially with pavements in Perú subject to higher precipi-
tation levels during extreme weather events.
. Increase in cost. A 7% fine-aggregate seashell replacement
increases the cost of conventional HMA by about 2.9%,
while a 30% fine aggregate replacement costs an additional
4.6%. The benefits associated with this added seashell repla-
cement cost have not been measured, but there is potential
for improved performance based on test results.
6. Recommendations
.
A second phase of the study is recommended using SPT and
alterations in aggregate gradation. The first phase of the
study had the goal of determining if benefits of seashell
fine aggregate replacement can be achieved, thus, a second
phase is warranted.
.
A prototype cost–benefit analysis study is recommended for
adopting seashell replacement in HMA mixtures for Perú.
The immediate benefits are (1) reducing waste volume in
landfills, (2) reducing the mining and processing of natural
aggregate, (3) minimising tensile strength loss and stripping
in high precipitation climates and (4) partially resisting
moisture damage from extended precipitation events, such
as El Niño phenomenon.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank the Universidad de Piura support though-
out the Ingenium I Edición Award. An special recongnize for the technical
personnel of Laboratorio de Ensayo de Materiales and Instituto de Hidro-
logía, Hidráulica e Ingeniería Sanitaria.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
ORCID
Gaby Ruiz http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3835-9708
Francisco Chávez http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4115-6082
Stephanie Santamaría http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4430-6963
References
AASHTO, 2007. Standard method of test for resistance of compacted hot
mix asphalt (HMA) to moisture-induced damage. AASHTO
Standards, T 283, Washington, DC.
Arabani, M. and Azarhoosh, A.R, 2012. The effect of recycled concrete
aggregate and steel slag on the dynamic properties of asphalt mixtures.
Construction and Building Materials, 35, 1–7.
Arabani, M., Babamohammadi, S., and Azarhoosh, A.R, 2014.
Experimental investigation of seashells used as filler in hot mix asphalt.
International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 16 (6), 502–509.
Arabani, M., Moghadas Nejad, F., and Azarhoosh, A.R, 2013. Laboratory
evaluation of recycled waste concrete into asphalt mixtures.
International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 14 (6), 531–539.
Balghunaim, F, 1990. Improving the adhesion characteristics of bitumi-
nous mixes by washing dust contaminated coarse aggregates.
Transportation Research Board, 1323, 134–142.
Brown, E.R., McRae, J.L., and Crawley, A.B., 1989. Effect of aggregates on
performance of bituminous concrete. ASTM STP 1016, Implication of
aggregates in the design, construction, and performance of flexible
pavements, Philadelphia, PA.
Buckley, J.S. and Liu, Y, 1998. Some mechanisms of crude oil/brine/solid
interactions. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 20 (3),
155–160.
Buckley, J.S., Takamura, K., and Morrow, N.R., 1989. Influence of electrical
surface charges on the wetting properties of crude oils. 2nd Annual
Technical Conference and Exhibition of the Society of Petroleum
Engineers, 27–30 September 1987, Dallas. Dallas: Society of
Petroleum Engineers, 332.
Chávez, G., 2016. Evaluación geoeconómica del área costera de la Región
Piura orientada al estudio de agregados para concreto. Thesis
(Engineer). Universidad de Piura.
Chierighini, D., Bridi, R., Rocha, A. D. and Lapa, K. R., 2011. Possibilidades
do uso das conchas de moluscos. In International Workshop advances
in cleaner production (Vol. 3). Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Falade, F, 1995. An investigation of periwinkle shells as coarse aggregate in
concrete. Building and Environment, 30, 573–577.
García, I., Heras, E., Puertas, F., et al., 2009. Tests on mortars and concrete
made with seashells as aggregate. Case Study in Mauritania.
Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Non-conventional
Materials and Technologies, Bath, UK, 6–9.
Her-Yung, W., Po-Yo, C., and Jeng-Hung, C., 2011. Effect of waste oyster
shell resurgent on engineering properties of cement mortar. 2011
International conference on consumer electronics, communications
and networks, XianNing, China, 4941–4944.
Horgnies, M., Darque-Ceretti, E., Fezai, H., et al., 2011. Influence of the
interfacial composition on the adhesion between aggregates and bitu-
men: investigations by EDX, XPS and peel tests. International Journal
of Adhesion and Adhesives, 31 (4), 238–247.
Khedaywi, T.S. and Tons, E, 1998. Aggregate rugosity and size effect on
bituminous mixes. Journal of the Transportation Research Board,
1619, 26–36.
Kuo, W.-T., et al., 2013. Engineering properties of controlled low-strength
materials containing waste oyster shells. Construction and Building
Materials, 46, 128–133.
Ohimain, E.I., Bassey, S., and Bawo, D.D, 2009. Uses of seas shells for
civil construction works in Coastal Bayelsa State, Nigeria: a waste
management perspective. Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 4,
1025–1031.
Poicón, S, 2014. En Sechura se arrojan 100 mil toneladas al año de residuos
de concha de abanico. El Tiempo, 12ve august, 2–3, Actualidad.
Prowell, B.D., Zhang, J., and Brown, E.R., 2005. Aggregate properties and
the performance of superpave-designed hot mix asphalt (Report 539).
Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board.
Richardson, A.E., and Fuller, T, 2013. Sea shells used as partial aggregate
replacement in concrete. Structural Survey, 31, 347–354.
Safi, B., et al., 2015. The use of seashells as a fine aggregate (by sand sub-
stitution) in self-compacting mortar (SCM). Construction and Building
Materials, 78, 430–438.
Safiuddin, M., et al., 2010. Utilization of solid wastes in
construction materials. International Journal of Physical Sciences,
5, 1952–1963.
Terrel, R.L. and Al-Swailmi, S., 1994. Water sensitivity of asphalt – aggre-
gate mixes: test selection (Report SHRP-A-403). Washington, DC:
National Research Council.
Varhen, C., Carrillo, S., and Ruiz, G, 2017. Experimental investigation of
Peruvian scallop used as fine aggregate in concrete. Construction and
Building Materials, 136, 533–540.

Wang, W., et al., 2010. Investigation of the use of strip-prone aggregates in
hydraulic asphalt concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 24
(11), 2157–2163.
Wheaton, F, 2007. Review of oyster shell properties: Part II. Thermal prop-
erties. Aquacultural Engineering, 37, 14–23.
Xie, X., et al., 2017. Evaluation of morphological characteristics of
fine aggregate in asphalt. Construction and Building Materials,
139, 1–8.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAVEMENT ENGINEERING 9
Yang, E.-I., et al., 2010. Effect of partial replacement of sand with dry oyster
shell on the long-term performance of concrete. Construction and
Building Materials, 24, 758–765.
Yang, E.-I., Yi, S.-T., and Leem, Y.-M, 2005. Effect of oyster shell substituted
for fine aggregate on concrete characteristics: Part I. Fundamental
properties. Cement and Concrete Research, 35, 2175–2182.
Yoon, G.-L., et al., 2003. Chemical–mechanical characteristics of crushed
oyster-shell. Waste Management, 23, 825–834.