Sulphur Sustainable Applications: Initial Field Monitoring and Performance of Shell Thiopave Trial Road in Qatar

摘要

The estimated sulphur output from Qatar is around 4 Mtpa by 2012, which is mainly from the gas processing operations in Qatar. The technology of using sulphur in roads was developed in the 1970s and was originally known as sulphur extended asphalt (SEA). However, the change in sulphur and hydrocarbon economics as well as environmental concerns related to the handling and safety of molten sulphur, rendered SEA mixes an unattractive option. Nevertheless, in the early 2000's, interest in the use of SEA mixes was renewed by innovations in the technology that eliminated hazards associated with molten sulphur use. Shell Thiopave' is a technology for sulphur-enhanced asphalt mix developed by Shell Sulphur Solutions since 2003. Shell's technology enables a portion of the bitumen in the asphalt mix to be replaced with sulphur and special additives, resulting in a pavement that has enhanced mechanical properties such as increased stiffness and significantly reduced permanent deformation in the asphalt layer of a pavement particularly at high ambient temperatures. A trial two-lane section of roadway of asphalt mix containing Shell Thiopave was constructed in October 2007 at Pearl Village, the worker accommodation for the Pearl GTL project, which is under construction by Qatar Petroleum and Shell in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. The roadway section has been periodically evaluated by Texas A&M University at Qatar. This paper reports the initial results of the field evaluation, and it provides a summary of the findings 'from laboratory characterization of mixtures and industrial hygiene monitoring during construction.