Plant Waste-Based Bioadditive as an Antioxidant Agent and Rheological Modifier of Bitumen

In recent times, circular economy initiatives in addition to the need for sustainable biomaterials have brought about several attempts at the eco-friendly, eco-sustainable and cost-effective production of asphalt pavements. It is an increasingly common practice in the asphalt industry to improve road pavement performance using additives to enhance the physico-chemical properties of bitumen, which performs the role of the binder in the asphalt mix. This paper evaluated the potential of a bio-based additive derived from olive leaf residue as a modifier and antioxidant agent for bitumen. Samples of neat, aged and doped aged bitumen were analyzed. In this study, the two bio-based additives were characterized in terms of phenol, chlorophyll, lignin and cellulose content, which was correlated with the mechanical properties of the tested samples. The mechanical properties of the neat, modified, aged and unaged samples were evaluated via Dynamic Shear Rheology. The bio-based additives proved to be promising and can improve the properties of bitumen binder and the performance of asphalt pavements in general.