Effect of bio-based stabiliser content on the performances of modified asphalt

This paper presents the effects of bio-based stabiliser content on the performances of representative modified asphalts to explore the feasibility of replacing traditional sulphur powder or sulphur-based stabilisers. The optimal contents of the bio-based stabilizer for different modified asphalts were determined based on physical properties, Superpave performance grade and microscopic morphology. Results show that with increasing the bio-based stabiliser content (0.1 - 0.4%), the segregation softening point differences of modified asphalts decreased sharply and gradually maintained steady. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the modified asphalt to the bio-based stabiliser content was styrene-butadiene-styrene modified asphalt (SBSMA), high-viscosity modified asphalt (HVMA), and rubber-plastic modified asphalt (RPMA) in descending order. Based on the analysis of macro- and micro-performances, it can be proposed that the optimal content of bio-based stabiliser was 0.2% for SBSMA, 0.3% for HVMA, and 0.3%-0.4% for RPMA, respectively.