Oxidative Aging Characterization of Pyro-Oil Modified Binders Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract

In order to obtain asphalt binder with enhanced quality to resist distresses like rutting, fatigue, and low-temperature cracking, there is a need to focus on asphalt binder modification. The accumulation of plastic waste is a direct result of the daily rise in plastic demand. One of the effective and trending ways of reducing the impact of plastic waste on the environment is to pyrolyze it and use the oil obtained from it as fuel for power generation, heating, extraction of chemicals, or as an asphalt binder modifier. This paper deals with the modification of VG30 binder with pyro-oil obtained from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic waste, and analysing the effect of modification on the short term aging of the binders. Pyro-oil is yielded from the pyrolysis process of HDPE at about 750 °C. The modified binders were prepared by adding 1%, 2%, and 3% pyro-oil by total weight of VG30. The binders were short-term aged and the changes in their chemical functionalities before and after aging were evaluated using fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Results of the FTIR test were used to calculate functional group indices for evaluating the aging characteristics of the modified binders. It was observed that the pyro-oil interacts chemically with VG30 and binder chemistry is influenced by aging. It was also observed that, modification with pyro-oil increases the resistance to aging of the binders.