Effect of Activation Modes on the Property Characterization of Crumb Rubber Powder from Waste Tires and Performance Analysis of Activated Rubber-Modified Asphalt Binder

Abstract

The rubber molecular chain in waste vulcanized tire rubber will be crosslinked to form a network structure that would be difficult to degrade in asphalt. Crumb rubber treated by desulfurization activation could form active groups on the surface by interrupting the crosslinking bond to improve the compatibility between crumb rubber powder and asphalt. To explore the influence of activation modes on crumb rubber powder and the corresponding rubber-modified asphalt binder, crumb rubber powder was firstly activated through three commonly used activation methods and asphalt binder samples modified by activated crumb rubber powder were also prepared. The basic properties of activated crumb rubber powder were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, and conventional tests were used to study the conventional physical properties of the asphalt binder. The infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis showed that the crumb rubber powder was mainly composed of alkanes, alkenes, sulfonic acids, aromatics, and a little silica rubber and antioxidant zinc oxide, which is suitable for asphalt modification. The simple heat activation treatment method is not enough to greatly destroy the cross-linking structure of crumb rubber powder, but the “C=C” bond was destroyed more seriously. Under the action of adjuvants, the polysulfide cross-linking bond could be broken in crumb rubber powder. The heat treatment and chemical treatment could not achieve the purpose of reducing the viscosity and improving the compatibility of rubber asphalt binder through desulfurization activation. The mechanochemical treatment would help to improve the performance of crumb-rubber-powder-modified asphalt binder. The data correlation analysis based on the grey relational degree can provide a reference for the selection of activated crumb rubber powder for different application requirements in the asphalt modification procedure.

Development of Pavement Material Using Crumb Rubber Modifier and Graphite Nanoplatelet for Pellet Asphalt Production

“…Hundreds of thousands of tons of waste tires annually can be turned into waste globally [ 19 , 20 ]. In Korea, the recycling rate of domestically recycled tires was 292,434 tons or about 79% of the annual amount of waste tires.…”

Enhancing Railway Track Stabilization with Epoxy Resin and Crumb Rubber Powder-Modified Cement Asphalt Mortar

“…Recently, epoxy resin and crumb rubber powder (CRP) have gained significant attention as valuable additives in asphalt mixtures due to their unique properties and potential benefits [14][15][16]. Epoxy resin, known for its adhesive and cohesive characteristics, has been employed to enhance the bonding between asphalt and aggregate particles, resulting in improved asphalt mix durability [17][18][19].…”