## 3 Results and Discussions
### Effect of the Water Content of Molasses on MMBs
#### 3.1.1 Penetration Resistance  
The penetration test results shown in Table 3 indicate that the resistance of the binders increased with the reduction in the water content of molasses. Most of the results of the specimens from the high water content binders exceeded the specified limits while those of the low water content specimens except for MMB20 satisfied the limit. Similarly, the penetration resistance was observed to increase with the content of molasses. The penetration resistance was dropped by 9.85% for MMB5, 12.8% for MMB10, 15.7% for MMB15, and 14.5% for MMB20 when the water content of molasses was reduced by about 80%. Furthermore, the penetration resistance decreases with an increase in the content of molasses. The reduction in penetration resistance of the binders could be due to the water breaking down the weak bond between the molecules of the MMB, which leads to the reduction of its cohesive property. The drop in penetration resistance with an increase in the content of molasses could be related to the increase in the amount of water added to the binders. The more water was added to the binder, the more molecules of the binder will disperse farther apart and the binder may lose its hardness.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Test**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Unit**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**MMB Containing Molasses with High \&Low Moisture Contents**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Spec.**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Test Method**} \\ \cline{3-3} \cline{5-10}  & & **MMB5** & & & & & & & \\ \cline{3-10}  & & **MMB5** & & & & & & & \\ \hline Penetration (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) & 0.1 mm & 95.4 & 86 & 101.6 & 88.6 & 108.3 & 91.3 & 131 & 112 & 80–100 & ASTM D5 \\ Softening & \({}^{\circ}\)C & 46.62 & 54.87 & 45.44 & 50.26 & 41.94 & 47.90 & 40.35 & 47.95 & 42–52 & ASTM D66 \\ Ductility (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) & \(\epsilon_{\rm m}\) & 93 & 108 & 85 & 101 & 76 & 89 & 69 & 77 & >100 & ASTM D13 \\ water content & \% & 1.32 & 0.97 & 2.56 & 1.94 & 3.8 & 2.05 & 5.05 & 2.12 & 1 & AASHTO T55 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 3: Properties of molasses modified binders (MMBs) containing molasses with 24.9% and 5.02% water contents.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Test**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Unit**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**MMB Containing Molasses with High \&Low Moisture Contents**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Spec.**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Test Method**} \\ \cline{3-3} \cline{5-10}  & & **MMB5** & & & & & & & & \\ \cline{3-10}  & & **MMB5** & & & & & & & & \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{\begin{tabular}{c} Penetration (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) \\ Softening (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) \\ D ductility (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) \\ water content \\ \end{tabular} } & 0.1 mm & 95.4 & 86 & 101.6 & 88.6 & 108.3 & 91.3 & 131 & 112 & 80–100 & ASTM D5 \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{\
\begin{tabular}{c} Penetration (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) \\ Softening (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) \\ D ductility (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) \\ water content \\ \end{tabular} } & \({}^{\circ}\)C & 46.62 & 54.87 & 45.44 & 50.26 & 41.94 & 47.90 & 40.35 & 47.95 & 42–52 & ASTM D66 \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{
\begin{tabular}{c} Penetration (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) \\ Softening (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) \\ D ductility (at 25\({}^{\circ}\)C) \\ water content \\ \end{tabular} } & 0.35 & 338 & 342 & 345 & \multicolumn{1}{c}{} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{} \\ \cline{3-10}  & 317 & 320 & 322 & 325 & \multicolumn{1}{c}{} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{} \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 4: Fire point and Flash point test results of MMBs containing molasses with 5.2% water content.