Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists Proceedings · 1980 · 34 citations · 0 references
EngineeringChemistryPetroleum EngineeringPavement EngineeringPhysical ChemistrySeparation ScienceAsphalt MaterialsAsphaltene DepositionPavement MaterialsPetroleum GeochemistryAdsorption ChromatographyAsphalt BinderAsphaltene AdsorptionAsphaltene PrecipitationHydrogen BondingMolecular Weight Distribution AnalysisResin-asphaltene InteractionsSolvent Precipitation
The focus of this study is to investigate the chemical composition of a petroleum asphalt and the mechanism of asphaltene precipitation, with the emphasis on chemically defined compound types and their molecular weight distribution. The chemical method of separation based on reactivity that was used includes chromatography on anion and cation resins to separate asphalt components capable of hydrogen bonding, followed by coordination chromatography on ferric chloride-Attapugus clay to obtain a neutral Lewis base and a hydrocarbon fraction. The results were compared with those on fractions obtained by solvent precipitation and adsorption chromatography using Corbett's separation procedure. Answers to following questions are sought: are the asphaltenes the highest molecular weight components of asphalt, and why do they precipitate.