Molecular engineering and modification of FCC slurry oil residue for improving ageing resistance of high quality paving asphalt

In the present work, a novel resin molecule based on fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) slurry oil residue was designed and prepared with aid of molecular simulation to improve its ageing resistance. The average molecular structure of resin was characterized with elemental analysis, Fourier-transform IR (FT-IR) spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and designed resin was synthesized by attaching an additional propyl group to the as-received resin. The interactions of resins and asphaltene molecules were investigated via molecular simulation, UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results revealed that the equilibrium distance of designed resin-asphaltene dimer decreased from 0.42 nm to 0.38 nm while the lowest contact energy increased from 9.3 kcal/mol to 11.2 kcal/mol, indicating an improved stability of designed resin-asphaltene particles. The adsorption isotherm indicated that more modified resin molecules could be adsorbed by asphaltene than the original resin. Compared with original asphalt, less aggregation of asphaltene occurred in asphalt blended with modified slurry oil residue during ageing process, showing its greatly improved ageing resistance.

Automated summary

The novel resin molecule designed based on FCC slurry oil residue showed improved ageing resistance by stabilizing asphaltene particles. The molecular simulation and experimental results indicated that the modified resin can enhance the stability of asphalt during the ageing process.