Novel Oil-Absorbing Organogel for Asphalt Pavement: VOC Reduction, Mechanical Properties, and Environmental and Economic Influence

Asphalt materials release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during construction, adversely impacting worker health and the environment. This study evaluated an oil-absorbing organogel as a VOC inhibitor to reduce VOC emissions along with its effects on the mechanical properties, environmental impact, and cost of asphalt materials. The oil-absorbing organogel was synthesized via addition copolymerization reaction of stearyl methacrylate (SMAL), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), and styrene utilizing C=C bonds. The addition of the oil-absorbing organogel reduced VOC emissions from the asphalt mixture by up to 30%. On the other hand, the oil-absorbing organogel increased the deformation resistance and antifatigue performance by up to 85% and 25.2% while showing a slight decrease of the low-temperature performance at −6 °C below. In terms of the environmental influence, the asphalt mixture with 5% oil-absorbing organogel showed the biggest CO₂, global warming potential (GWP), and acidification potential (AP), which were 12.2%,13.1%, and 6.2% higher than those without oil-absorbing organogel. The results of cost-benefit analysis of AC (asphalt mixture)-1, AC-3, and AC-5 were 20.5, 11.8, and 16.0, respectively. This indicated that the presence of oil-absorbing organogel has an obvious benefit. An appropriate oil-absorbing organogel enabled us to balance the VOC reduction, road performance, and environmental and economic influence. These findings provide feasible insight into promoting the use of VOC reduction materials in road engineering, balancing the VOC reduction effect, mechanical properties, and environmental and economic influence.