Qualitative discrimination of bitumens and quantitative determination of their additives by infrared spectroscopy

Due to the complex chemical matrix of bitumen there are so far no analytical techniques available which allow a fast and reliable determination and inspection of its physical characteristics. In this study infrared spectroscopic analytical techniques are proposed for the qualitative and quantitative determination of bitumen and its additives in terms of origin, producer, chemical structure and content. In the case of Fourier-Transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection (ATR) mode, the successful qualitative discrimination of different bitumens and the identification of additives and their quantitative determination in bitumen in the concentration range from 1-5% (w/w) was demonstrated. Results of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic analyses in the diffuse reflection mode in combination with chemometric evaluation techniques are presented. These could deliver a new insight in the analytical investigation of bitumen and its additives by hand-held instrumentation directly at the location of manufacturing and processing. For the covering abstract see ITRD E157233