Assessment of Removal of Fines from Reclaimed Asphalt Binder Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

The natural environment is suffering greatly from population growth, industrialization, and waste production. When pavements are to be repaired or reconstructed, the waste material poses a threat as it is landfilled and not used up to its potential. Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has been gaining importance as there is a depletion of natural resources as well as its potential to perform well if reused or recycled. The extraction and recovery process is carried out to evaluate the properties of the aged binder in RAP. Extraction and recovery need to be coupled with gravitational sedimentation and filtration for the removal of mineral fillers from the aged binder + solvent solution. This study uses Centrifuge extraction and a rotary evaporator for extraction and recovery, respectively. In this study, three different solvents, namely tri-chloroethylene (TCE), toluene, and n-propyl bromide (nPB) are used for the centrifuge extraction. Extraction was followed by gravitational sedimentation and filtration. The results were evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Gravitational sedimentation is carried out and samples are tested after 0, 30, 60, 120, 240, and 1440 min by FTIR followed by filtration. In order to assess the properties of aged binder accurately, it should be free from mineral fines. Based on the properties of aged asphalt, percentages of RAP binder and rejuvenator by virgin binder can be evaluated. The results demonstrated that the removal efficiencies were affected by the type of solvent used for extraction.

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Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MEiN, umowa nr SONP/SP/546092/2022 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2022-2023).