Evaluating the properties of bioasphalt produced with bio-oil derived from biodiesel production

Abstract

Environmental concerns are conditioning all processes that use hydrocarbons products, building awareness for a more sustainable environment through products called bio. In this scenario, it is also the production of bitumen, where the substitution of part of the bitumen by bioproducts is a contribution to the sustainability of the environment. Bio-oil, which is currently used for burning with the purpose of producing energy, can be used to modify the bitumen, producing a bio-asphalt. Trying to contribute to sustainable development, this paper presents an initial analysis of the feasibility of using bio-oil in the production of pavement bitumen. One base bitumen was used, namely, residue of asphalt. The tests were carried out for physical characterization of the bio-bitumen, namely the penetration, the softening point, and the Brookfield viscosity, as well as its rheological characterization in which the dynamic shear modulus and the phase angle were evaluated. The bio-oil content, by weight, varied from 2 to 10% for the residue of asphalt. It was verified that the base bitumen, namely the residue of asphalt, can be softened significantly due to the bio-oil. The bio-oil content of 6% added to the residue of asphalt produces a bio-binder with physical behaviour similar to a conventional 35/50 pen asphalt.