Walaa Mogawer

Professor
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Research and Background

The research work conducted at the UMass Highway Sustainability Research Center is focused on the emerging critical needs of the roadway industry. Many issues face this industry including: the need for increased sustainability/environmental stewardship in roadway materials, the need for increased recycling, environmental impacts of materials and construction, maximizing roadway material performance, preservation of the roadway system, critical decisions in pavement activities (pavement management), pavement health monitoring, and cost effectiveness of materials. The HSRC actively conducts research activities related to these critical needs. A majority of latest research activities at the HSRC have been focused on incorporating more recycled materials and new technologies into roadway materials with subsequent evaluation of their overall impact on the pavement’s performance. The HSRC has developed roadway materials using high percentages (>50%) of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), Recycled Asphalt Shingles (RAS) from manufacturers waste and roof tear offs, and rubber from scrap tires. Additionally, new technologies such as asphalt rejuvenators, Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technologies and Highly Modified Asphalt (HiMA) have been utilized in conjunction with these recycled materials to enhance overall mixture performance.Further expanding on this research, the HSRC is currently conducting a study to evaluate the impact of using re-refined waste engine oil (known as re-refined engine oil bottoms or REOB) on pavement performance. The aforementioned represents a small portion of the research activities being conducted at the HSRC in order to address the critical needs of the industry. The HSRC continues to identify and address these needs as they arise.