Method of making an asphalt composition containing ester bottoms

Abstract

This invention involves the addition of ester bottoms to an asphalt paving composition to improve the usable temperature range (UTR). The ester bottoms are a byproduct of refining a feedstock containing all or a portion of vegetable oil or animal fat.

We claim: 
     
       1. A method of making paving a modified asphalt composition comprising:
 adding 0.1 wt % to 20 50 wt % ester bottoms to an asphalt mixture wherein the ester bottoms are a byproduct of methyl ester refining; and 
 adding 0-20 wt % of a polymer modifier to the ester bottoms and asphalt mixture. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to of  claim 1 , wherein the ester bottoms contain one or more of methyl esters, sodium soap, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, and or unsaponifiables. 
     
     
       3. The method according to of  claim 2 , wherein the unsaponifiables make up about 10 wt % of the ester bottoms. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ester bottoms have a viscosity range of 10-900 cp cP at 64° C. 
     
     
       5. A method of making a paving modified asphalt composition comprising adding ester bottoms to an asphalt mixture to increase the useable temperature range of the paving asphalt, wherein the ester bottoms are a byproduct of methyl ester refining. 
     
     
       6. A method of making a paving modified asphalt composition comprising adding ester bottoms to an asphalt mixture to meet a predetermined useable temperature range, wherein the ester bottoms are a byproduct of methyl ester refining. 
     
     
       7. A method of making a modified asphalt composition, the method comprising:
 reacting methanol and dry oil to generate reaction products, the reaction products including at least methyl ester and glycerin, the dry oil being an oil that is at least partially dried to remove moisture therefrom;   settling the glycerin from the reaction products;   creating a distillation feedstock that has at least a portion of the glycerin removed from the reaction products;   distilling the distillation feedstock;   recovering distillation bottoms as ester bottoms; and   adding the ester bottoms and an asphalt-modifying polymer to an asphalt to define a modified asphalt composition, the ester bottoms being between about 0.1 wt % to about 50 wt % of the modified asphalt composition, the asphalt-modifying polymer being between about 0 wt % to about 20 wt % of the modified asphalt composition, and the asphalt being between about 50 wt % to about 99.9 wt % of the modified asphalt composition.   
     
     
       8. The method of claim 7, wherein the reacting of the methanol and the dry oil includes reacting the methanol and the dry oil in a multistage continuous reactor and adding methoxide catalyst to one or more stages of the multistage continuous reactor. 
     
     
       9. The method of claim 7, wherein the ester bottoms are added to the asphalt in an amount to achieve a preselected useable temperature range of the modified asphalt composition. 
     
     
       10. The method of claim 7, wherein the ester bottoms include unsaponifiables in an amount of at least about 10% thereof. 
     
     
       11. The method of claim 7, wherein the ester bottoms have a viscosity range of between about 10 cP and about 900 cP at 64° C. 
     
     
       12. The method of claim 7, wherein the ester bottoms include diglycerides and triglycerides. 
     
     
       13. The method of claim 7, wherein the asphalt includes from about 20 wt % to about 60 wt % recycled asphalt. 
     
     
       14. The method of claim 7, wherein the asphalt-modifying polymer has one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of butadiene, styrene, vinyl acetate, ethylene, propylene, acrylate, isoprene, and acrylamide. 
     
     
       15. The method of claim 7, wherein adding the ester bottoms to the modified asphalt composition increases useable temperature range of the modified asphalt composition. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 7, wherein the dry oil is derived from one or more of a vegetable oil or an animal fat. 
     
     
       17. A method of making a modified asphalt composition, the method comprising:
 reacting methanol with dry oil containing one or more of a vegetable oil or an animal fat to generate reaction products, the reaction products including at least methyl ester and glycerin;   settling the glycerin from the reaction products;   removing at least a portion of the glycerin from the reaction products to leave an ester phase;   distilling the ester phase to separate purified methyl esters from ester bottoms; and   blending the ester bottoms and an asphalt-modifier with an asphalt to define a modified asphalt composition, the ester bottoms being between about 0.1 wt % to about 50 wt % of the modified asphalt composition, the asphalt-modifier being between about 0 wt % to about 20 wt % of the modified asphalt composition, and the asphalt being between about 50 wt % to about 99.9 wt % of the modified asphalt composition.   
     
     
       18. The method of claim 17, wherein the reading of the methanol and the dry oil includes reacting the methanol and the dry oil in a multistage continuous reactor and adding methoxide catalyst to one or more stages of the multistage continuous reactor. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 17, wherein the ester bottoms include unsaponifiables in an amount of at least about 10% thereof. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 17, wherein the ester bottoms have a viscosity range of between about 10 cP and about 900 cP at 64° C. 
     
     
       21. The method of claim 17, wherein the asphalt includes from about 20 wt % to about 60 wt % recycled asphalt. 
     
     
       22. A method of making a modified asphalt composition, the method comprising:
 reacting methanol with dry oil containing one or more of a vegetable oil or an animal fat to generate reaction products, the reaction products including at least methyl ester and glycerin;   settling the glycerin from the reaction products;   removing at least a portion of the glycerin from the reaction products to leave an ester phase;   washing the ester phase with water to remove one or more of soap, methanol, catalyst or additional glycerin;   drying the washed ester phase to define dried methyl esters;   distilling the dried methyl esters to separate purified methyl esters from ester bottoms; and   blending the ester bottoms and an asphalt-modifier with an asphalt to define a modified asphalt composition, the asphalt-modifier being selected from the group consisting of a polymer, a resin, polyphosphoric acid, gilsonite, lignin, and crumb rubber.   
     
     
       23. The method of claim 22, wherein the modified asphalt composition includes between about 0.1 wt % to about 50 wt % of ester bottoms, between about 0 wt % to about 20 wt % of the asphalt-modifier, and between about 50 wt % to about 99.9 wt % of the asphalt. 
     
     
       24. The method of claim 22, wherein the ester bottoms include unsaponifiables in an amount of at least about 10% thereof. 
     
     
       25. The method of claim 22, wherein the ester bottoms have a viscosity range of between about 10 cP and about 900 cP at 64° C. 
     
     
       26. The method of claim 22, wherein the asphalt includes from about 20 wt % to about 60 wt % recycled asphalt. 
     
     
       27. A method of making a modified asphalt composition that rejuvenates recycled asphalt, the method comprising:
 reacting methanol and dry oil to generate reaction products, the reaction products including at least methyl ester and glycerin, the dry oil including one or more of a vegetable oil or an animal fat that has at least some moisture removed therefrom prior to reaction with the methanol;   settling the glycerin from the reaction products;   removing at least a portion of the glycerin from the reaction products to leave an ester phase;   distilling the ester phase to separate purified methyl esters from ester bottoms; and   adding the ester bottoms to recycled asphalt to define a modified asphalt composition, the recycled asphalt being obtained from a milled road surface, the ester bottoms being between about 0.1 wt % to about 50 wt % of the modified asphalt composition and the recycled asphalt being between about 50 wt % to about 99.9 wt % of the modified asphalt composition.   
     
     
       28. The method of claim 27, further comprising adding an asphalt-modifying polymer to the modified asphalt composition, the asphalt-modifying polymer being between about 0 wt % to about 20 wt % of the modified asphalt composition. 
     
     
       29. The method of claim 28, wherein the asphalt-modifying polymer is one or more of styrene butadiene, ethylene-vinyl-acetate, ethylene-methyl-acrylate, ethylene butyl acrylate, poly-propylene, atactic polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, LDPE, HDPE, oxidized high density poly-propylene, poly-phosphoric acid, natural rubber, polybutadiene, epoxy resins, polyurethane resins, acrylic resins, phenolic resins, gilsonite, lignin, diblock polymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene, linear triblock polymers, radial triblock polymers. styrene-isoprene-styrene, diblocked polymers, hydrotreated styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene ethylene butadiene styrene polymers, styrene butadiene rubber, polyacrylamide, glycidyl-containing ethylene copolymers, or crumb rubber. 
     
     
       30. A method of making a modified asphalt composition that resists moisture susceptibility, the method comprising:
 reacting methanol with dry oil to generate reaction products, the reaction products including at least methyl ester and glycerin, the dry oil including one or more of a vegetable oil or an animal fat that has at least some moisture removed therefrom prior to reaction with the methanol;   settling the glycerin from the reaction products;   removing at least a portion of the glycerin from the reaction products to leave an ester phase;   washing the ester phase with water to remove one or more of soap, methanol, catalyst or additional glycerin;   drying the washed ester phase to define dried methyl esters;   distilling the dried methyl esters to separate purified methyl esters from ester bottoms; and   blending the ester bottoms and an asphalt to define a modified asphalt composition that resists cracking, the ester bottoms being between about 0.1 wt % to about 50 wt % of the modified asphalt composition and the asphalt being between about 50 wt % to about 99.9 wt % of the modified asphalt composition.   
     
     
       31. The method of claim 30, further comprising adding an asphalt-modifying polymer to the modified asphalt composition, the asphalt-modifying polymer being between about 0 wt % to about 20 wt % of the modified asphalt composition. 
     
     
       32. The method of claim 31, wherein the asphalt-modifying polymer is selected from the group consisting of a polymer, a resin, polyphosphoric acid, gilsonite, lignin, and crumb rubber. 
     
     
       33. A method of making a modified asphalt composition, the method comprising:
 obtaining a distillation bottoms of a distilled methyl ester product that results from reaction between methanol and at least one of vegetable oil or animal fat from which glycerin is settled and removed from the methyl ester product prior to distillation, the distillation bottoms being defined as ester bottoms;   obtaining an asphalt, and   blending the ester bottoms and the asphalt to define a modified asphalt composition, the ester bottoms being between about 0.1 wt % to about 50 wt % of the modified asphalt composition and the asphalt being between about 50 wt % to about 99.9 wt % of the modified asphalt composition.   
     
     
       34. The method of claim 33, further comprising blending an asphalt-modifying polymer together with the ester bottoms and the asphalt to define the modified asphalt composition, the asphalt-modifying polymer being between about 0 wt % to about 20 wt % of the modified asphalt composition. 
     
     
       35. The method of claim 34, wherein the asphalt-modifying polymer is selected from the group consisting of a polymer, a resin, polyphosphoric acid, gilsonite, lignin, and crumb rubber. 
     
     
       36. The method of claim 33, wherein the asphalt includes recycled asphalt that is obtained from a milled road surface.