Application of Bio-Modified Montmorillonite Clay to Enhance Asphalt Oxidation Resistance

Abstract

This study evaluates the effectiveness of using a Bio-modified Nanoclay additive (BNC) to reduce the oxidative aging of asphalt pavements. The study results through X-Ray Diffraction analysis showed that the modification of montmorillonite clay with bio-modifier increased the basal d-spacing of clay. The resulting nanoclay with increased interlayer spacing was chosen for application in asphalt binder. Rheological characterization of clay-modified asphalt binder were studied before and after oxidation aging. The effects of BNC on asphalt complex modulus were observed to be prevailing in the intermediate to high-temperature range. The aging resistance of asphalt binder showed improvement with the addition of nanoclay and the improvement was more notable in presence of bio modified-nanoclay than pure clay.