Preparation Method of Corn Stalk Fiber Material and Its Performance Investigation in Asphalt Concrete

In this study, a bioresource material, corn stalks, were converted by a combination of physical and chemical methods into a corn stalk fiber material that can be utilized in an asphalt pavement. Firstly, corn stalk fiber was produced with different comminution times, mass fractions of sodium hydroxide solution, reaction times, and reaction temperatures. An orthogonal experimental method was employed to determine the optimal production process. The results show that the optimal comminution time was 3.5 min, and corn stalk should be reacted with a sodium hydroxide solution at 80 °C for 30 min to obtain the best corn stalk fiber product. The mass ratios of corn stalk fibers, sodium hydroxide, and water should be 8:1:200. After an evaluation of the physical and mechanical properties of the corn stalk fibers, asphalt binders, and mixtures, it was concluded that this kind of corn stalk fiber can be a good substitute of pavement fiber.