LITERATURE REVIEW OF COCONUT SHELL AND FIBERS IN PAVEMENT DESIGN

The construction industry faces the challenge to balance the growing demand for new infrastructure and the sustainable use of resources that are generated throughout the different stages of civil infrastructure work. Other industries use materials that leave behind great amount of waste, that often their biodegradation and recycling processes are complex. To find avenues to adapt or incorporate such materials into the productive cycle, characteristics and mechanical properties studies are necessary. For example, due to the large consumption of coconut water, the elimination of these resources has generated major problems such as environmental pollution, methane emissions, insect outbreaks, reduction of the useful life of landfills and increased costs of maintenance of cities. However, research has demonstrated that coconut fibers and shells may be utilized in concrete applications. This study provides an in-depth review of the literature to learn about the current state of the art in the use of coconut fibers and shells as aggregates in pavement mixtures. Thanks to new technologies, it has been possible to carry out a more in-depth analysis regarding the use of environmentally friendly materials to be used in civil infrastructure works. The incorporation of the shell and coconut fibers are aimed to determine its influence on asphalt mix, considering the amount to be used and its longterm performance and to provide a new technology engineering in the construction of sustainable roads and highways using available ecological material.