Despite the numerous benefits for preserving the hydrological cycle, permeable pavement systems (PPSs) found their major application in parking spots and for light traffic scenarios due to their limited durability and strength. To make the PPSs suitable for heavy traffic conditions without significant distresses, research is shifting toward the adoption of novel binders and additives for designing multifunctional porous asphalt mixtures which make up the surface course of PPSs. Certain additives are well known for enhancing the durability of dense graded asphalt mixtures and improving fatigue and rutting resistance. However, the studies on the influence of additives on abrasion resistance and binder draindown, which are the common problems in porous asphalt mixtures (PAMs), are still not well established. This paper summarizes best practices performed on PAMs and recommends possible future research directions for its improvement. Particular emphasis is placed on strength and resilience of PAMs by incorporating additives like nanosilica, crumb rubber, warm-mix additives, fibers (such as cellulose, glass, steel, and synthetic fibers), and some eco-friendly materials. It was found that different additives seem to have different effects on the properties of PAMs. Moreover, the combination of additives has synergistic benefits for the performance of PAMs, especially in urban pavements.

Recent studies have shown that fibers improve the performance of porous asphalt mixtures. In this study, the influence of four different fibers, (a) regular aramid fiber (RegAR), (b) aramid fiber with latex coating (ARLat), (c) aramid fiber with polyurethane coating (ARPoly), (d) aramid fiber of length 12 mm (AR12) was evaluated on abrasion resistance and toughness of the mixtures. The functional performance was estimated using permeability tests and the mechanical performance was evaluated using the Cantabro test and indirect tensile strength tests. The parameters such as fracture energy, post cracking energy, and toughness were obtained through stress-strain plots. Based on the analysis of results, it was concluded that the addition of ARLat fibers enhanced the abrasion resistance of the mixtures. In terms of ITS, ARPoly and RegAR have positively influenced mixtures under dry conditions. However, the mixtures with all aramid fibers were found to have adverse effects on the ITS under wet conditions and energy parameters of porous asphalt mixtures with the traditional percentages of bitumen in the mixture used in Spain (i.e., approximately 4.5%).

Porous asphalt (PA) mixtures are more environmentally friendly but have lower durability than dense-graded mixtures. Additives can be incorporated into PA mixtures to enhance their mechanical strength; however, they may compromise the hydraulic characteristics, increase the total cost of pavement, and negatively affect the environment. In this paper, PA mixtures were produced with 5 different types of additives including 4 fibers and 1 filler. Their performances were compared with the reference mixtures containing virgin bitumen and polymer-modified bitumen. The performance of all mixes was assessed using: mechanical, hydraulic, economic, and environmental indicators. Then, the Delphi method was applied to compute the relative weights for the parameters in multi-criteria decision-making methods. Evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS), technique for order of the preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), and weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) were employed to rank the additives. According to the results obtained, aramid pulp displayed comparable and, for some parameters such as abrasion resistance, even better performance than polymer-modified bitumen, whereas cellulose fiber demonstrated the best performance regarding sustainability, due to economic and environmental benefits.