BACKGROUND The negative health effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are well established for modern human populations but have so far not been studied in prehistoric contexts. PAHs are the main component of fossil bitumen, a naturally occurring material used by past societies such as the Chumash Indians in California as an adhesive, as a waterproofing agent, and for medicinal purp...

BACKGROUND Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the main toxic compounds in natural bitumen, a fossil material used by modern and ancient societies around the world. The adverse health effects of PAHs on modern humans are well established, but their health impacts on past populations are unclear. It has previously been suggested that a prehistoric health decline among the native people l...

The increase use of crumb rubber in flexible pavements requires the better understanding of its effect on physical and rheological properties of rubberised bitumen binders. The performance properties of rubberised bitumen binder are influenced by the blending conditions and crumb rubber content. The main objective of this research is to investigate the effect of various crumb rubber content on ...

Undertaking a chronic inhalation study on bitumen fume presents a challenge in terms of generating sufficient amounts of representative fume. The objective of the study described in this and in previous publications was to collect sufficient fume and use this to develop a laboratory-generated exposure atmosphere, for use in chronic inhalation toxicity studies in rats that resembles, as closely ...

-In hot countries like India roads laid on agricultural zones and other water prone areas will be affected by severed pot holes created due to the water entry in the pavement. Increase in road traffic in combination with insufficient maintenance due to shortage in funds causes rapid deterioration of the roads. To lighten this process, several measures may be effective, such as, use of better qu...

Bitumen is a commonly used material for road construction. According to environmental regulations, vegetable-based materials are applied for binder modification. Fluxed road bitumen containing a bio-flux oxidation product increases the consistency over time. The efficiency of crosslinking depends on the number of double bonds and their position in the aliphatic chain of fatty acid. The main goa...

This study is carried out to explore the effect of nano materials (SiO2 & TiO2) on the physical and rheological properties of Bitumen. To achieve this goal, Nano materials are blended in bitumen in various percentages (0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2%). The physical and rheological properties of modified binders are characterized using a penetration, softening point, kinematic viscosity and a dynamic...

This research aims to define an efficient and fast quantification of bitumen removal on the road surface by Digital Imaging Processing (DIP) and spectral analysis. The retrieval of bitumen removal is an important issue for road management and environmental studies related to asphalt wear and environmental pollution. The calculation of the Exposed Aggregate Index (EAI), based on DIP, allows to q...