Sustainable Utilization of Multi-Source Solid Wastes in Road Engineering: Performance, Safety, and Field Validation

Road infrastructure consumes large quantities of raw materials, while industrial production, construction and demolition, mining, municipal activities, and agriculture generate diverse solid wastes. Their use in road engineering can conserve natural resources and reduce disposal burdens, but large-scale implementation remains limited by variable composition, inconsistent processing, interfacial incompatibility, potential environmental risks, and uncertain long-term performance. Many studies examine a single waste stream or short-term laboratory properties, leaving gaps between material design, pavement functional performance, and field service. A systematic understanding is therefore needed to connect waste characteristics and treatment methods with the mechanical, durability, surface-functional, and environmental performance of road materials across pavement layers.This Research Topic aims to advance performance-oriented and environmentally responsible utilization of multi-source solid wastes in road engineering. Despite growing laboratory evidence, broader implementation is still hindered by the lack of consistent evaluation frameworks, clear application boundaries, and sufficient field-scale validation. The collection will bring together research spanning waste characterization and pretreatment, material and structural design, multiscale mechanisms, laboratory evaluation, intelligent performance assessment, and field validation. Particular attention will be given to the relationships among waste-derived constituents, material interfaces, pavement surface characteristics, skid resistance and tire–pavement adhesion, durability, and service safety. The collection seeks to identify reliable evaluation methods and scalable technologies that can translate promising waste-utilization strategies into durable, safe, and sustainable road infrastructure.We welcome Original Research, Review, and Methods articles on:- Characterization, pretreatment, and quality control of industrial, construction and demolition, mining, municipal, agricultural, and pavement-derived wastes- Applications in asphalt binders and mixtures, granular bases and subbases, stabilized soils, cement-treated materials, and other pavement layers - Multiscale characterization and interfacial mechanisms of waste-derived road materials- Mechanical performance, aging, moisture damage, fatigue, rutting, cracking, and climate durability- Environmental safety, including leaching and emissions, when linked to engineering application- Pilot-scale or full-scale field validation, construction technologies, specifications, and life-cycle performance Topic editors: Shihao Dong, Li Bo, Bo Zhou, Jiaqiu Xu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85176/sustainable-utilization-of-multi-source-solid-wastes-in-road-engineering-performance-safety-and-field-validation