Evaluation of long-term effects of rejuvenation on reclaimed binder properties based on chemical-rheological tests and analyses

This study used multiple chemical-rheological tests to investigate the long-term characteristics of rejuvenating agents in reclaimed asphalt binders. To this end, a base binder and its blending with an extracted binder obtained from recycled asphalt pavements were selected, and two different types of rejuvenating agents: agriculture-based and petroleum-based agents were used to modify the blended binder. The base binder and the blended binders that were modified by the two rejuvenators were then aged using a typical laboratory long-term aging procedure. The chemical studies included: a saturates-aromatics-resins-asphaltenes analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen) analysis. The rheological tests primarily investigated the linear viscoelastic properties through aging and rejuvenation. The effects of rejuvenators on restoration were quite material-dependent, which was related to the different chemical compositions of the rejuvenators and their chemical-molecular interactions with the parent binder. The tests and analysis results showed that the immediate effects of rejuvenators are mostly the result of the addition of lighter molecules in rejuvenators, while the long-term effects were material-specific and further chemistry-driven. From the two rejuvenating agents studied herein, the petroleum-based material improves performance of the binder in the next round of service by preserving the chemical composition and maintaining the stability, whereas the agriculture-based agent used in this study might increase the aging issues because of its pre-existing high oxygen content, which could negatively affect long-term durability over service period.