Gilsonite for Asphalt Modifier

Gilsonite for Asphalt Modifier

General Description of Gilsonite for Asphalt Modifier

Gilsonite for Asphalt Modifier is using as a performance-enhancing agent for asphalt mixes Bitumen modified paving mixes achieve higher PG grades and incorporate perfectly into the asphalt blend with no need for high shear milling as is the case with many other modifiers.
Gilsonite an asphalt modifier have higher stability, reduced deformation, reduced temperature susceptibility and increased resistance to water stripping than non-modified asphalts. Gilsonite is also used to make both solvent-based and emulsion pavement sealers with superior appearance and weathering. pavement performance. Gilsonite is a modifier, which is intended to increase the stability of the pavement and help resist rutting often found on today’s pavements.

Gilsonite are natural occurring hydrocarbon substances characterized by a high softening point in the class known as asphaltite. They are mined much like other minerals and sold essentially in their native state. They are fully compatible with asphalt and have long been known as asphalt hardeners and reinforcing agents. Gilsonite is currently sold all over the world as a road bitumen modifier in the form of a dry bulk solid granular powder.

Gilsonite content will react immediately with molecules and creates higher modules decreasing the thickness of asphalt while gaining superior properties. This will eventually result in having cheaper asphalt which easily passes the international standards. As it is practical to add Gilsonite to Slurry to make cheaper bitumen, Gilsonite can also be applied in asphalt application, making cheaper and enhanced asphalt. Applying Gilsonite to asphalt modifier is simple since it can be put directly into the hot mix at the factory or the project site.

Gilsonite As an asphalt binder modifier, the unique properties of Gilsonite make a road that is less susceptible to high-temperature and deformation performance issues. When these modified binders are used in recycled asphalt pavements, Gilsonite adds back what time has taken from the old asphalt, making it easier to use more of this recycled material. The Gilsonite-modified asphalt binder will produce a stronger road that can be thinner by nearly 20 percent compared with other pavements.

Asphalt with an adequate quality is important in different aspects:
Economic: A considerable portion of Municipalities’ budgets, their Civic Engineering and Roads and Transport sections, are spent on manufacturing, applying and maintaining asphalt. If asphalt can be manufactured to have a two to three times longer effective lifetime the costs related to asphalt maintenance would be reduced commensurately. It is also obvious it would be more economical if cheaper substances could be used as modifiers or the bitumen for asphalt.
Environmental: The bitumen that exists in asphalt, due to containing heavy aromatic substances that can be released into the environment in small amounts after rainfall, pollute the environment, specifically underground waters. This pollution can be reduced by replacing a small percentage of the bitumen with green substances such as Gilsonite (Natural bitumen) or using complexing materials.
Driving: It is obvious that good asphalt affects driving. Nowadays, good quality asphalt with low deformation susceptibility, low-temperature susceptibility, high resistance to water stripping and high friction rate will help driving safety at high speeds and in different weather conditions (cold, warm, freezing).
Protecting and Saving Mineral and Natural Resources: Stone materials are used, alongside bitumen and other added substances, in manufacturing asphalt. By adding to the effective lifetime of asphalt the use of those materials would also be decreased.

To increase the rigidity and lifetime of asphalt, and to achieve the goals mentioned above, in advanced countries, different mixtures such as PPA, EVA, and SBS are used as modifiers and fillers. These materials are both expensive and toxic. And so producing a modified with lower manufacturing cost, lower toxicity, and equal or better quality is among the goals of asphalt scientists.
In Iran, for the last decade, asphalt modifiers have not been used due to their high prices. This has led to a dramatic drop in asphalt quality and effective lifetime so much as Iranian asphalt has a lifetime equal to one-third of American and European asphalt.
In this regard this cooperative, using micronized Gilsonite powder with a mesh size of 200 and solubility of more than 85% in carbon disulfide, has made efforts to modify asphalt to have higher rigidity and friction, and lower penetration rate, manufacturing cost, and toxicity.
We have used Gilsonite, as a powerful modifier, as both feeder and volumizer. Gilsonite is a byproduct of bitumen that can replace up to 15% refinery bitumen.

Goal: The produced powder is directly used in warm road bitumen, reducing the bitumen by 10-20. Micronized Gilsonite powder is used as a modifier in hot asphalt to add to its functionality, rigidity, stability and lifetime. Also, Gilsonite decreases penetration rate and increases viscosity, softening point, thermal resistance, resistance to deformation and resistance to water stripping. Also, this powder, due to having nitrogen-containing heterocyclic materials, adds friction between the road and the cars’ wheels, that, in turn, will increase the quality of driving in rain and while braking.
Lab results show that asphalt rigidity with 10% Gilsonite is 1357 kilograms while in absence of any Gilsonite it is 1097 kilograms. Asphalt modified with Gilsonite has more rigidity, resistance and effective lifetime than regular asphalt. In addition, it is cheaper and more environment-friendly and contains more bitumen.

Benefits of Gilsonite for Asphalt Modifier

• Reduced pavement thickness
• Reduced temperature susceptibility
• Superior deformation performance
• Increased resistance to water stripping
• Improved the economic performance of the road
• Compensation for poor aggregates
• High strength and durability
• Compensation for poor mixes design
• Improved resistance to fatigue

Advantage of Natural Asphalt for Asphalt Modifier

• Gilsonite Modifier can be used to make Gilsonite Sealer suitable for Pavement repairs.
• Gilsonite can be mixed with SBS polymers to obtain more economical combined grades.
• High strength and durability.
• Superior deformation performance.
• Reduced pavement thickness. It can decrease the thickness while preserving the specifications of the asphalt.
• Applying Gilsonite in Asphalt modifier increases the bonding inside the asphalt.
• Reduced temperature susceptibility.
• Increased resistance to water stripping.
• High strength and durability; Gilsonite Binder increase asphalt life.

Packing of Gilsonite for Asphalt Modifier

Gilsonite for Asphalt Modifier is packed in 25Kg or 50 LBS multi paper bag on pallet shrink wrapped or 500Kg/1000Kg super bag.

Specification of Natural Bitumen for Asphalt Modifier