Study of the Dispersion of Bitumens Modified with Secondary Polyethylene Terephthalate

Abstract The paper considers the possibility of using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste in the production of bitumen. The article presents the results of modifying bitumen with PET powders. A method has been developed for producing polymer powders from waste PET bottles using a non-toxic solvent. The powders obtained using this technology are finely dispersed and can be used to modify bitumen. By mixing PET powder into petroleum bitumen, it is possible to obtain it can homogeneous binder with a leads to increase the plasticity interval and lowering the penetration values. It has been found that with the introduction of 4% wt. PET powder softening temperature of bitumen increases by 15°C, brittleness temperature decreases by 6.6°C, and penetration – by 22×0.1 mm. It has been established that while the change in the plasticity interval, the adhesive properties of bitumen increase, which is explained by the increased content of aromatic compounds and resins in them.