Effect of variability in waste cooking oil on rejuvenation of asphalt

Abstract

High reclaimed asphalt (RA) renders mixtures more prone to intermediate- and low-temperature cracking failures. In this regard, waste cooking oil (WCO) is gaining attention as rejuvenator to incorporate higher RA in new pavements. Past studies have investigated the rejuvenation effect of WCO irrespective of the variability and source of WCO. This study investigates the variability effect of WCO on the rejuvenation of higher RA. Rheological tests, chemical tests, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance were performed on the rejuvenated binders in this study. Further, the rejuvenation index was proposed to assess the rejuvenation capabilities of different WCOs by fitting the Burger model from MSCR data. The findings showed that sunflower oil-based WCO showed the maximum rejuvenation capability, followed by palm and mustard oil-based WCO. Overall, the study highlighted the variability in WCOs considering their rejuvenation capabilities, which may help in selecting appropriate WCOs for rejuvenation.