**3.9 Ceramic, recycled, and alternative materials in road paving of Amazonian highways**

There are reports of the use of milled asphalt waste (reclaimed asphalt pavement-RAP) from the recycling of asphalt coatings on federal highways BR-163 and BR-364 in the State of Mato Grosso [10] but in the initial state. An interesting application

#### **Figure 24.**

*Natural phenomenon known as terras caídas ("fallen lands") occurring in the Careiro da Várzea region, in front of the city of Manaus (photos: NS Campelo).*

#### **Figure 25.**

*Cutting slopes. a) Erodible horizons (sandy/silty soil). b) and c) lateritic and saprolitic horizons (highly erodible) (photos: NS Campelo).*

*Challenges in the Construction of Highways in the Brazilian Amazonia Environment: Part II… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.105017*

of ceramic materials occurs in some urban streets in the city of Rio Branco, State of Acre, where traditional ceramic bricks are applied as linings in streets with low traffic volume (**Figure 27** – Point 20 of **Figure 1**).

There are no reports of the use of lightweight fill materials (e.g., expanded polystyrene – EPS) for embankments to be constructed over soft soils in road paving in the Brazilian Amazonia. This type of solution could be used in highways that cross natural subgrade in *várzea* terrains.

In general, there is a lack of technical information on the construction procedures and use of construction materials on the highways of the Brazilian Amazonia, which is reflected in the few publications on the subject.

**Figure 26.**

*a) Presence of a "stone line" (lateritic concretions) separating the lateritic and saprolitic horizons. b) and c) presence of thin film of lateritic crust in slopes (photos: NS Campelo).*

**Figure 27.**

*Use of ceramic block as a coating for urban roads with low traffic volume (photo: Jornal AcreAgora (https:// acreagora.com/2021/07/12/).*
