Road Performance of Solid Waste-Based Cementitious Material-Stabilized Reclaimed Base Course Material

Large-scale pavement maintenance generates substantial amounts of reclaimed base course material (RBM), whose high-value reuse presents a critical challenge. Although cement is commonly used for stabilization, its high carbon footprint and shrinkage issues limit sustainability. This study proposes a 100% solid waste-based cementitious material (SWC) as an alternative stabilizer for pavement base layers containing high proportions of RBM. A comparative investigation was conducted between SWC-stabilized RBM (SSRBM) and ordinary Portland cement-stabilized RBM (CSRBM) regarding key road performance indicators. The results indicate that with 100% RBM, the 7-day compressive strength of SSRBM containing 4% SWC reaches 1.88 MPa, meeting the Chinese specification JTG/T 5521-2019. By incorporating 15% natural coarse aggregate, this strength can be increased by 35.4%. Furthermore, SSRBM demonstrates superior freeze-thaw resistance, with a freeze-thaw-retained unconfined compressive strength ratio of 93.9%, compared to 89.6% for CSRBM, and exhibits a lower drying shrinkage coefficient. Carbon emission analysis shows that the emissions per cubic meter of SSRBM are approximately 73% lower than those of CSRBM, presenting a viable and environmentally advantageous alternative for sustainable pavement construction.