Quantum chemical simulation and laboratory testing of the curing mechanism and performance of resin bio-oil

Resin asphalt is widely used to improve the durability and thermal stability of asphalt concrete in recent years. In order to reduce the dependence of using petroleum asphalt in resin asphalt, the bio-oil, as a kind of by-product of cooking oil industry, was explored as the substitution of petroleum asphalt in resin asphalt materials in this study. The quantum chemical method was firstly utilised to characterise the curing mechanism of resin bio-oil. Then the reasonable preparation process of resin bio-oil was discussed based on the quantum chemical simulation results. Finally, the optimisation production method, which was named two-step method, was proposed. Based on the proposed simulation results, the resin bio-oil was also prepared in laboratory, followed by the road performance verification. The experimental results show that the produced resin bio-oil has excellent high and low temperature performance, when compares to neat and modified asphalt binders. The application of bio-oil as a substitute of petroleum asphalt in resin asphalt material could help to produce a greener and more sustainable infrastructure material.