Evaluation of sunflower oil as a rejuvenator and its microencapsulation as a healing agent

Self-healing microencapsulation in asphalt concrete is an emerging technology that would allow this particular material to resist cracking damage caused by vehicular and environmental loading. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of asphalt rejuvenators on asphalt binder, to select a suitable healing agent for asphaltic materials, and to develop a synthesis procedure for the production of microencapsulation of asphalt rejuvenators. Produced microcapsules were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess the effects of preparation parameters on the size and morphology of the microcapsules. Based on the results of the experimental program, it was concluded that the use of sunflower oil as a rejuvenator was effective in reversing the aging of asphalt binder and to positively affect both the high-temperature and low-temperature grades of the binder. In contrast, the use of PennzSuppress as a rejuvenator was not effective in reversing the aging of asphalt binder and only marginally influenced the grades of the aged and extracted binders at both low and high temperatures. Based on these results, microencapsulation of sunflower oil was selected given its effectiveness in reversing the aging of asphalt binder. A synthesis procedure was developed for the preparation of microencapsulation of sunflower oil and to characterize microcapsule properties such as diameter and morphology