Optimization design and performance evaluation of a novel asphalt rejuvenator

The development of a regeneration agent is one of the key technologies for pavement regeneration and one of the methods to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation field, so it is very necessary to develop a regeneration agent. Based on the composition of asphalt and rejuvenator components, the optimal dosing of extraction oil, plasticizer dioctyl phthalate (DOP), and hydrogenated (carbon 9) C9 petroleum resin was determined by the response surface method, and the suitable dosing of the anti-aging agent was also designed to optimize the orthogonal experiment to prepare the ZJ-I (Zenith Yummy-Invent) rejuvenator with good overall performance. On the basis of the ZJ-I rejuvenator, dynamic shear rheology (DSR), bending beam rheometery (BBR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle experiments were used to investigate the effects of the ZJ-I rejuvenator dosing on the high- and low-temperature rheology, chemical structure, surface microscopic morphology, and adhesion between asphalt and aggregate of aged asphalt and to explore the regeneration effect and regeneration mechanism of the ZJ-I rejuvenator. The results showed that the ZJ-I rejuvenator formulated with 83.6% extracted oil, 15% plasticizer DOP, 1.4% hydrogenated petroleum resin, 0.6% antioxidant, and 0.4% light stabilizer has the best regeneration effect, and its optimal dosing is 7% aging degree. It can also improve the adhesion performance of asphalt and aggregate.