Systematic Investigation into Biochar-Mediated Suppression of Asphalt Rubber Fumes: Inhibition Mechanism, Pollutant Profiles, and Binder Performance
- 1School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Abstract
Asphalt rubber (AR) is increasingly used as a sustainable pavement binder, but hazardous fumes generated during production constrain its wider application. This study investigated wood biochar (WB), walnut-shell biochar (WSB) and corn-straw biochar (CSB) as sustainable fume-suppressing additives for AR binders. The biochars were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis (EA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and N2 physisorption tests, while AR emissions were evaluated through real-time monitoring of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), H2S, SO2 and NOX, together with thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) analysis. Conventional binder properties and rheological behavior were also evaluated. The results showed that WSB possessed the most developed hierarchical pore structure, with a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 285.8 m2/g and a total pore volume of 0.165 cm3/g, achieving the strongest TVOC reduction (65.6%) and the lowest detectable organic-fume complexity. TD-GC-MS analysis showed that WSB mainly reduced the relative responses of aliphatic hydrocarbons and PAH-related hydrocarbons, whereas WB selectively reduced BTEX/alkylbenzenes and S/N-containing responses. CSB, enriched in ash-derived minerals and oxygen-containing groups, exhibited the strongest sulfur-gas suppression, achieving complete SO2 elimination and 57.65% H2S inhibition, but also induced a redistribution toward oxygenated organics and alicyclic hydrocarbons. Biochar addition generally improved high-temperature stiffness and compatibility. These findings demonstrate feedstock-dependent and pollutant-specific suppression behavior, suggesting that physical adsorption and surface chemical interactions may jointly contribute to fume suppression, and provide guidance for selecting biochar additives for cleaner AR production.
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BibTeX
@article{yao2026systematic,
title = {{Systematic Investigation into Biochar-Mediated Suppression of Asphalt Rubber Fumes: Inhibition Mechanism, Pollutant Profiles, and Binder Performance}},
author = {Zechen Yao and Boqiang Zhang and You Zhou and Shaoshuai Li},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/polym18212689},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2689},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Systematic Investigation into Biochar-Mediated Suppression of Asphalt Rubber Fumes: Inhibition Mechanism, Pollutant Profiles, and Binder Performance
AU - Zechen Yao
AU - Boqiang Zhang
AU - You Zhou
AU - Shaoshuai Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18212689
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2689
AB - Asphalt rubber (AR) is increasingly used as a sustainable pavement binder, but hazardous fumes generated during production constrain its wider application. This study investigated wood biochar (WB), walnut-shell biochar (WSB) and corn-straw biochar (CSB) as sustainable fume-suppressing additives for AR binders. The biochars were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis (EA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and N2 physisorption tests, while AR emissions were evaluated through real-time monitoring of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), H2S, SO2 and NOX, together with thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) analysis. Conventional binder properties and rheological behavior were also evaluated. The results showed that WSB possessed the most developed hierarchical pore structure, with a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 285.8 m2/g and a total pore volume of 0.165 cm3/g, achieving the strongest TVOC reduction (65.6%) and the lowest detectable organic-fume complexity. TD-GC-MS analysis showed that WSB mainly reduced the relative responses of aliphatic hydrocarbons and PAH-related hydrocarbons, whereas WB selectively reduced BTEX/alkylbenzenes and S/N-containing responses. CSB, enriched in ash-derived minerals and oxygen-containing groups, exhibited the strongest sulfur-gas suppression, achieving complete SO2 elimination and 57.65% H2S inhibition, but also induced a redistribution toward oxygenated organics and alicyclic hydrocarbons. Biochar addition generally improved high-temperature stiffness and compatibility. These findings demonstrate feedstock-dependent and pollutant-specific suppression behavior, suggesting that physical adsorption and surface chemical interactions may jointly contribute to fume suppression, and provide guidance for selecting biochar additives for cleaner AR production.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -