Preface

This book presents specific information on asphalt modifications, which has become an in‐ teresting area in recent years, due to the relevance of these kinds of materials for applica‐ tions in roads and highways. The current requirements in terms of the capacity to withstand greater loads on roads and highways make it necessary to develop more resistance asphalt with better properties, for instance deformation resistance at high temperatures, low-tem‐ perature cracking, and fatigue cracking, with the aim of meeting the needs of different geo‐ graphical areas.

Asphalt is a byproduct of oil refinery and is a complex mix of hydrocarbons. Because it has a varied composition that mainly consists of heavy oil fractions, such as saturated asphal‐ tenes, resins, and aromatics, and depending on its origin, the proportions of these fractions can vary to make asphalt heavier.

The main problems with modified asphalts are phase separation and thermal stability, which are responsible for failures such as ruts, fractures, and cracks, among others. Depend‐ ing of the environmental conditions of use, these failures can increase in some cases, so it becomes necessary to use modifier agents that improve the characteristics of asphalts.

Asphalt modifiers by excellence are elastomers, mainly styrene-butadiene; however, even modified asphalt with these kinds of elastomers have fallen short in fulfilling their main purpose, which is why it is necessary to look for new modifiers and especially new develop‐ ments to adapt and evaluate the performance of modified asphalts.

Among the main properties that a modified asphalt must have are mechanical properties, since final performance depends on their supporting the loads and conditions to which they are subjected during their application.

In recent years, environmental issues have become an important aspect of caring, so not on‐ ly should modified asphalts allow for lower fuel consumption, but also the modifying agents such as polymers or natural products can be recycled, because in this way natural resources would be used less and less pollution would be generated.

This book is divided into two sections: the first "Asphalts with Environmental Focus" and the second "Evaluation of Asphalt Performance." The objective of presenting in this way is to analyze the options to generate modified asphalts using environmentally friendly materi‐ als and, on the other hand, to analyze the performance of modified asphalts with conven‐ tional agents such as rubbers, polymers, or clays, or to evaluate properties such as fatigue failures or thermal properties.

This book is a compilation of work that studies how modified asphalts are developed using unconventional materials that can be environmentally friendly and, on the other hand, work where the performance of modified asphalts is evaluated mainly for their mechanical prop‐ erties, due to the relevance of these areas in the applications of modified asphalts.

> **Dr. José Luis Rivera-Armenta and Dr. Beatriz Adriana Salazar-Cruz** National Technologic of Mexico (TecNM) Technological Institute of Madero City, Mexico

**Section 1**

**Asphalts with Environmental Focus**

**Asphalts with Environmental Focus**

This book is a compilation of work that studies how modified asphalts are developed using unconventional materials that can be environmentally friendly and, on the other hand, work where the performance of modified asphalts is evaluated mainly for their mechanical prop‐

**Dr. José Luis Rivera-Armenta and Dr. Beatriz Adriana Salazar-Cruz**

National Technologic of Mexico (TecNM) Technological Institute of Madero City, Mexico

erties, due to the relevance of these areas in the applications of modified asphalts.

VIII Preface

**Chapter 1**

**Provisional chapter**

**Asphalt Modified with Biomaterials as Eco-Friendly**

**Asphalt Modified with Biomaterials as Eco-Friendly** 

High construction costs, when combined with awareness regarding environmental stewardship have encouraged the use of waste and renewable resources in asphalt modification. Increasing energy costs and the strong worldwide demand for petroleum have encouraged the development of alternative binders to modify or replace asphalt binders. The benefits of using alternative binders are that they can help save natural resources and reduce energy consumption while maintaining and in some cases improving asphalt performance. Common alternative binders include engine oil residue, bio-binder, soybean oil, palm oil, fossil fuel, swine waste, and materials from pyrolysis. Chemical compositions of the majority of these alternative binders are similar to those of unmodified asphalt binders (e.g. Resin, saturates, aromatics, and asphaltene). On the other hand, tests indicate the wide variability in the properties of alternative binders. Also, the chemical modification mechanism for asphalt with alternative binders depends clearly on the unmodified asphalt and is consequently not well understood. For energy sustainability, environment-friendly materials and an urgent need for infrastructure rehabilitation that more research is needed to evaluate the alternative binders for use in asphalt modification. The alternative binders should have moisture resistance and good aging

**Keywords:** asphalt, sustainable, alternative binders, biomaterials, eco-friendly,

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,

distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.76832

**and Sustainable Modifiers**

**and Sustainable Modifiers**

Ragab Abd Eltawab Abd El-latief

Ragab Abd Eltawab Abd El-latief

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76832

**Abstract**

characteristics.

bio-binder

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

#### **Asphalt Modified with Biomaterials as Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Modifiers Asphalt Modified with Biomaterials as Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Modifiers**

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.76832

Ragab Abd Eltawab Abd El-latief Ragab Abd Eltawab Abd El-latief

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76832

#### **Abstract**

High construction costs, when combined with awareness regarding environmental stewardship have encouraged the use of waste and renewable resources in asphalt modification. Increasing energy costs and the strong worldwide demand for petroleum have encouraged the development of alternative binders to modify or replace asphalt binders. The benefits of using alternative binders are that they can help save natural resources and reduce energy consumption while maintaining and in some cases improving asphalt performance. Common alternative binders include engine oil residue, bio-binder, soybean oil, palm oil, fossil fuel, swine waste, and materials from pyrolysis. Chemical compositions of the majority of these alternative binders are similar to those of unmodified asphalt binders (e.g. Resin, saturates, aromatics, and asphaltene). On the other hand, tests indicate the wide variability in the properties of alternative binders. Also, the chemical modification mechanism for asphalt with alternative binders depends clearly on the unmodified asphalt and is consequently not well understood. For energy sustainability, environment-friendly materials and an urgent need for infrastructure rehabilitation that more research is needed to evaluate the alternative binders for use in asphalt modification. The alternative binders should have moisture resistance and good aging characteristics.

**Keywords:** asphalt, sustainable, alternative binders, biomaterials, eco-friendly, bio-binder

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
