Combusting behavior and pyrolysis products evaluation of SARA components separated from bitumen

Abstract To further understand thermal properties of bitumen, saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes (SARA) were separated from two bitumen firstly. Then the thermal stability and activation energy of SARA components during combustion were investigated via thermo gravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC). Additionally, the composition and distribution of pyrolysis products of four components in pyrolysis process were evaluated by pyrolysis gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometry (PY-GC–MS). The results indicate that asphaltenes have the best thermal stability, followed by resins, aromatics and saturates, and the activation energy of light components is lower than that of heavy components. Two bitumen are different in distribution of pyrolysis products, which may be caused by different sources and production processes. But they have similar composition, the pyrolysis products of heavy components are more complex than those of light components. The combustion behavior and pyrolysis products of bitumen are better understood from a new perspective of its components.