Quantification of Recycled Engine Oil Bottoms in Asphalt Binder Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Techniques

Abstract

Recycled engine oil bottoms (REOBs) are widely used in asphalt binders for modification and cost saving. However, more early road failures have appeared on the pavements constructed with REOB-modified asphalt binders in North America, leading to the bans and limits of its use and the interest in REOB’s quantification in asphalt binders. This study aims to systematically introduce a quantifying method via liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. One base asphalt binder, two REOB resources, and eight blend samples were measured by H1 NMR, C13 NMR, and heteronuclear single-quantum correlation (HSQC) NMR. Peaks at 1.1 and 1.4 ppm in H1 spectra and peaks at 31.2, 38.1, and 59.5 ppm in C13 spectra were found only in REOB samples and asphalt samples containing REOBs and derived from polyisobutylene (PIB). The indexes of peak ratio and area ratio could well characterize the relative contents of REOB within a certain concentration range. Finally, an obvious peak at (1.4 ppm, 59.5 ppm) (F2, F1) was found and suggested as a characteristic peak of REOB via the HSQC NMR test.