*2.1. Bitumen Characterization*

Extracted bitumens were classified by their performance grade (PG). Bitumen classification in North America is based on performance-grade (PG H–L), which is selected according to the temperature. The H value corresponds to the maximum pavement temperature, at which the bitumen has enough cohesion to minimize plastic deformation of the asphalt mix, and the L value corresponds to the minimum air temperature, where the bitumen has enough elasticity to keep asphalt mix flexible at low temperatures to reduce cracking potential [24].
