Abstract:
Oil shale rocks represent one of the most
available sources of energy. Jordan land contains about 50
billion tons of oil shale, which makes Jordan the third in
the world of the reserve of this material. Oil shale ash is a
byproduct of the oil shale manufacturing process and
considered a waste material and may cause hazards for
human health. In this study, the effect of oil shale ash on
asphalt binder rheological properties at higher temperatures
was investigated. Five oil shale ash to asphalt (OSA/A)
percentages by volume (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 %) were used.
The complex shear modulus (G*) and phase angle (d) of
asphalt binders were investigated using the Superpave
Dynamic Shear Rheometer and the rotational viscosity
(RV). It was found that increasing the OSA/A percentage
increased the G* value and the RV of asphalt binders, and
improved the Superpave rutting parameter, but did not
affect significantly the phase angle. Thus, adding oil shale
ash (the waste material) to asphalt binder enhanced
its rheological properties and performance at high
temperatures.