Lightly pyrolyzed tire rubber used as potential asphalt alternative

Ground tire rubbers were lightly pyrolyzed in a twin-screw extruder and applied as potential alternative for asphalt. The composition of lightly pyrolyzed rubber prepared at different pyrolysis temperatures was characterized by gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis and extraction analysis. The rheological properties of LPRs and their mixture with asphalt were evaluated by dynamic rheological analysis. LPR with high sol content had typical properties similar to base asphalt, like low viscosity and balanced rheological properties. LPR could be used over 50% by weight as asphalt alternative, which endowed the asphalt with outstanding lower temperature property.