NEW, SIMPLE, RAPID, AND PRECISE METHOD FOR TRACE ANALYSIS OF NICKEL AND VANADIUM IN PETROLEUM ASPHALT

A wet-digestion method for trace analysis of nickel and vanadium in asphalt is presented. A weighed sample is mixed with nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide and then digested for slightly over 3 hr. Oxides of Ni and V, formed during digestion, dissolve in the acidic medium. Upon cooling, metal oxides insoluble in the acidic medium (e.g., those of Al, Fe, Mo, Cu, and Cr) form a yellowish brown precipitate that coexists with the carbon left after asphalt decomposition. The soluble Ni and V ions are separated by filtration. Ni and V concentrations are measured by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry, a selective, sensitive, and rapid analytical tool. Complete analysis (digestion, filtration, and measurement) consumes 4 hr and thus provides a fast measure of asphalt aging propensity; alternative methods require 3 days. Ni + V content correlates very strongly with the molecular weight of SEC-I-1, the first subfraction of the first fraction obtained from size exclusion chromatography. The aging index correlates very strongly with Ni content. The method also serves for asphalt characterization. The proposed method has good repeatability as measured by the standard deviation and the coefficient of variation of triplicate analyses of each of the eight core asphalts. Results of analysis agree with those reported from earlier studies, reflecting satisfactory accuracy. The procedure, without modification, can be used to determine the concentration of other metals (e.g., B, Ca, K, Mg, Na, Si, Y, and Zn) known to exist in asphalt and, on digestion, to form oxides soluble in the acidic medium.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/1586-06
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=NEW%2c+SIMPLE%2c+RAPID%2c+AND+PRECISE+METHOD+FOR+TRACE+ANALYSIS+OF+NICKEL+AND+VANADIUM+IN+PETROLEUM+ASPHALT&author=S.+Bishara&publication_year=1997
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/030906208X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1586, Asphalt Binders and Binder Specifications.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Bishara, Safwat W
• Publication Date: 1997

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 40-49
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1586
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Aging (Materials); Asphalt; Filtration; Nickel; Trace elements; Vanadium
• Uncontrolled Terms: Rapid methods; Repeatability
• Old TRIS Terms: Inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry; Wet-digestion method
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials; I31: Bituminous Binders and Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00743248
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 030906208X
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Dec 3 1997 12:00AM