Sargassum-Modified Asphalt: Effect of Particle Size on Its Physicochemical, Rheological, and Morphological Properties

Abstract

The effect of sargassum particle size on the final properties of sargassum-modified asphalt is investigated in this article. Seaweed sargassum particles were first obtained and characterized through elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction, and FTIR spectroscopy. Additionally, pure and sargassum-modified asphalt blends were evaluated through physical and rheological tests such as penetration, softening point, thermal stability, dynamic viscosity, failure temperature, and epifluorescence microscopy. Modified asphalt blends were prepared by the hot mixing technique using different proportions of sargassum particles of two maximum sizes: 500 μm and 850 μm. Incorporating 3.0 wt.% of sargassum particles under 500 μm into the asphalt increased the viscosity of the original binder by a factor of 2.5 and its complex modulus by a factor of 1.9. At the same time, its failure temperature was 11 °C higher than the reference asphalt, which implies an improved viscoelastic behavior and rutting resistance at high temperatures. The study results suggest that the particles under 500 μm were responsible for the most significant effect on the final properties of the asphalt. Moreover, the storage stability test revealed that the modified asphalt blends are stable when the sargassum particle content was kept below 3.0 wt.%. The statistical analysis of the effect of sargassum particle size and concentration on the modified asphalt properties revealed that the rheological behavior is more affected by the modifier particle size; in contrast, the conventional physical properties were more determined by its concentration. Therefore, using low proportions of fine sargassum particles is efficient for improving the physical and rheological properties of the original asphalt, which is not only positive from the asphalt modification technology point of view but also from a sustainable perspective, since seaweed sargassum has become a useless plague in many coastal regions.

Novel PolyPropylene–Sargassum Particles Composites: Evaluation of Thermal and Thermomechanical Properties

“…Also, for PP-2S and PP-10S composite spectra, in addition to the signals attributed to PP, it is possible to identify the presence of signals attributed to OH and C=O groups at 1700 and 1630 cm −1 and at 1260 cm −1 from carboxylic groups present in hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin present in Sargassum signals. This corroborates the presence of Sargassum particles in the PP matrix [29][30][31][32].…”

Bio-Modified Bitumen: A Comparative Analysis of Algae Influence on Characteristic Properties

“…In order to establish a proper mixing protocol for the algae-based blends, the relevant literature was considered [6,7,9,10]. It was observed that there was considerable variation among researchers regarding the mixing conditions for algae-modified bio-bitumen (Table 3).…”

“…For instance, it was found that sargassummodified bitumen had higher viscosity and rutting resistance in comparison with unmodified petroleum-based bitumen, which could improve the high-temperature performance [6]. The same study indicated that a reduction in the sargassum particle size would bring about an increased specific surface area and thus better cohesion [6]. Furthermore, as the particle size is reduced, the storage instability of bitumen is also reduced up to 3% content.…”

“…As mentioned above, numerous algae species have been assessed as possible alternative binding materials for asphalt mixtures. For instance, it was found that sargassummodified bitumen had higher viscosity and rutting resistance in comparison with unmodified petroleum-based bitumen, which could improve the high-temperature performance [6]. The same study indicated that a reduction in the sargassum particle size would bring about an increased specific surface area and thus better cohesion [6].…”