Influence of nanostructural modifier from automobile tires on consumer properties of bitumen

Introduction. Used tire rubber cracking with organic solvents leads to rubber devulcanization and dispersion of the material to nanosized particles. The process can be carried out in a flow reactor. The obtained nanomodifiers are compatible with bitumen and predictably change the bituminous binder technical characteristics. Various practical solutions have been proposed for the use of the resulting modified bituminous binders in the road construction and strengthening soil foundations. Methods and materials. It has been proposed to use a method of joint cracking of rubber with organic solvents to obtain a nanostructured modifier of bitumen. The obtained nanostructural modifier has been studied by the methods of analyzing the sizes of nanoparticles and solubility in toluene. For the bituminous binders obtained with the use of nanomodifiers, standard characteristics for bitumen, such as needle penetration depth, softening temperature, brittleness temperature and extensibility have been determined. Results and discussion. It is established that during the proposed process, a nanostructural modifier compatible with bitumen is formed. It is shown that the addition of a nanomodifier to bitumen makes it possible to purposefully change the properties of the resulting bitumen binder, improve the consumer properties of the bitumen binder and expand its application areas. It is proposed to use the obtained product as a component of waterproofing mastics for waterproofing the underground parts of buildings and structures. Conclusion. Joint cracking of rubber with organic solvents in a flow reactor allows obtaining a nanostructural modifier compatible with bitumen. The resulting product has improved properties compared to the original bitumen, which expands its scope of application. It is proposed to use the resulting product for the manufacture of waterproofing mastics. The proposed technical solutions make it possible to reduce the environmental load of automobile tires wastes.