Effect of processing parameters on properties of bitumen emulsions

Abstract

Bitumen emulsions are special type of paving binder materials used in road construction industry due to its environmentally friendly approach, cost efficiency and less energy consumption compared to other conventional bitumen binders. Despite so many benefits, the use of bitumen emulsions is still limited in many regions due to difficulties faced in its emulsification process. Controlling several process parameters are needed during formulation while achieving the sufficient storage stability and viscosity. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of different processing parameters on the properties of bitumen emulsions in terms of storage stability and viscosity. The 80/100 grade bitumen was emulsified through colloid mill, considering different pH values and emulsifier concentrations as processing parameters during emulsification process. The results indicate that the storage stability has improved significantly with increased concentration of emulsifier whereas high acidic system in terms of pH level has also substantially enhanced storage stability at lower level of emulsifier concentration. In addition, the viscosity of bitumen emulsions has also been affected by the emulsifier concentration and higher amount of emulsifier resulted in higher values of viscosity at lower pH level. The data achieved through this investigation can be further used to study the effect of other formulation parameters on properties of bitumen emulsions.