A study on the pyrolysis of asphalt

Abstract The pyrolysis of asphalt has been studied using thermogravimetric analysis at atmospheric pressure and with nitrogen as the ambient gas. The heating rates ranged from 50 or 80 °C min −1 to a final temperature of 650 °C. A two-stage first-order model is established to describe the pyrolysis of asphalt. In the model, the activation energy, E , is different for each stage, but is independent of the type of asphalt and its heating rate. The frequency factor depends on the heating rate and is independent of the asphalt. The final yield of volatiles depends on the type of asphalt. The modeled results agree with the experimental measurements, so the model is reasonable.