Investigation of Sequential Dissolution of Asphalt Binder in Common Solvents by FTIR and Binder Fractionation

An investigation into the potential for sequential dissolution of asphalt fractions in a staged extraction scenario was conducted for common asphalt solvents. Asphalt cement subjected to six sequential washes in trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrahydrofuran (THF), toluene, or decahydronaphthalene (decalin) were evaluated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and fractionated for asphaltene content. The results from the FTIR were evaluated statistically using a one-way ANOVA test and the solvents induced no difference in mean carbonyl index. However, the fractionation of the asphalt cement after staged extraction showed that decalin and THF sequentially dissolved the asphalt cement while toluene remained suspect. Trichloroethylene does not appear to sequentially dissolve the asphalt cement fractions. The findings are in agreement with solubility calculations based on Hansen solubility parameters. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.