This study presents a new carrier for wax-based additives used in bitumen; the new carrier alleviates wax crystallization while improving bitumen’s cohesion, adhesion, and elastic properties. The abovementioned wax carrier is a newly developed nanozeolite, which is impregnated with paraffin wax to form a hybrid additive referred to as Winz. Bitumen containing Winz showed an improved resistance to low-temperature cracking, which can be attributed to reduced wax crystallization when wax dispersed via nanozeolite. In addition, nanozeolite was found to adsorb acidic compounds of bitumen upon its release of wax. Our molecular modeling showed that while wax interacts with nanozeolite in the absence of acid, upon introduction of acid, wax molecules are replaced by acid molecules on the nanozeolite surface. Adsorption of acids to the nanozeolite surface was also evidenced in the significant change of shear-thinning behavior of bitumen doped with Winz when bitumen was exposed to water. Hydrolysis of acidic compounds at the surface of nanozeolite caused a 42% reduction in the shear-thinning rate (going from 3.25 to 1.89) after water conditioning. This in turn shows that bitumen acids were adsorbed to Winz and detracted from the interface of bitumen with stones. Therefore, Winz can be a promising candidate to promote sustainability by enhancing the durability of bituminous composites via reducing bitumen’s wax crystallization and bitumen’s acid accumulation at the stone interface. The study outcomes provide insights to synthesize multifunctional carriers for bitumen’s wax-based additives to enhance their dispersion and effectiveness.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.