Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/119545
RoadScience by Tom Kuennen, Contributing Editor Special Transportation Research Board 2013 Report ���Bio-Binder��� Green Modifiers Star at TRB T he emerging universe of biologically based modified asphalts got significant exposure at the 92nd annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in Washington, D.C. Better Roads was there. More than 11,700 transportation professionals from around the world enjoyed over 4,000 presentations in nearly 750 sessions and workshops. Here are some of the most significant papers involving bio-based modifiers and other themes of interest to the roadbuilding community. For more information, visit www.trb.org. Performance in Asphalt Mixes Because they fall under the umbrella of organic chemistry, strictly speaking, any petroleum-based binder or modifer might be considered a ���bio-binder.��� However, today the ���bio��� prefix is reserved for binders and modifiers derived from processed biomass or biowastes, thereby earning them ���green��� status. Mixes containing ���bio-binders��� ��� when used in conjunction with conventional asphalt binders ��� exhibit performance very similar to regular asphalt mixes, but with the benefit of being environmentally sustainable, write Louay N. Mohammad, Mostafa A. Elseifi, Samuel B. Cooper III, and Harshavardhan Challa, Louisiana Transportation Research Center, Louisiana State University, and Prem Naidoo, Green Asphalt Technologies, Pass Christian, Miss., in their paper, Laboratory Evaluation of Asphalt Mixtures Containing Bio-Binder Technologies. Bio-binder is an alternative asphalt binder made from non-petroleum-based renewable resources. The use of bio-oil as a replacement to petroleum-based asphalt binder has been proposed in recent years, they say. ���Bio-oils have distinct advanBetter Roads April 2013 19 RoadScience_BR0413.indd 19 4/1/13 3:24 PM