Commercial bitumen: PAH mass contents and the behaviour of emissions depending on temperature under standardized conditions

The results of standardized analyses of commercial bitumen should make a co ntribution to improve the knowledge about the carcinogenic contents and to the temperature-dependent behaviour in generating aerosols and vapours. The re were not found any nitrogen containing heterocyclics in the bitumen samp les of HB 90/100; B 45; B 65; B 80; B 200 as well as 85/25 and 95/35. The o xidized bitumens 85/25 resp. 95/35 show by about the fac- tor of 1.7 resp. 3.1 higher values of all the PAH as a sum. The BaP-contents of all the bitu mens amount on the average to 1.8 mg/kg. A measurable aerosol generation - standardized to one hour- at a mean height of 13.5 +/- 13.0 mg/h occurs at a processing temperature of 180 degrees C. In contrast to this at a tempera ture of 80 degrees C predominantly the PAH with two and three aromatic ring s are detectable in the gas phase. By standardization of the bitumen-specif ic PAM-emissions per mg aerosol the bitumens B 80 and B 200 differ from the other products because of the highest PAH formation rates including the ca rcinogenic components.