BITUMINOUS MATERILAS

LABOURATORY TEST.

1.0 ASPHALT CEMENT/BINDER

1.1 Solubility Test

Asphalt consists primarily of bitumen, which are high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons soluble in

carbon disulfide. The bitumen content of a bituminous material is measured by means of its
solubility in carbon disulfide. In the standard test for bitumen content (ASTM D4), a small sample
of about 2 g of the asphalt is dissolved in 100 ml of carbon disulfide and the solution is filtered
through a filtering mat in a filtering crucible. The material retained on the filter is then dried and
weighed, and used to calculate the bitumen content as a percentage of the weight of the original
asphalt.
Due to the extreme flammability of carbon disulfide, solubility in trichloroethylene, rather than
solubility in carbon disulfide, is usually used in asphalt cement specifications. The standard
solubility test using trichloroethylene is designated as ASTM D 2042.
The solubility test is used to detect contamination in asphalt cement. Specifications for asphalt
cements normally require a minimum solubility in trichloroethylene of 99.0 percent.
Unfortunately, trichloroethylene has been identified as a carcinogen and contributing to the
depletion of the earth’s ozone layer. The use of trichloroethylene will most likely be banned in the
near future.
There is a need to use a less hazardous and non-chlorinated solvent for this purpose. Results of
several investigations have indicated that the solvent n-Propyl Bromide appears to be a feasible
alternative to trichloroethylene for use in this application [Collins-Garcia et al, 2000].