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US-12624210-B2 - System and method for generating tire rubber asphalt

US12624210B2US 12624210 B2US12624210 B2US 12624210B2US-12624210-B2

Abstract

A method and system for generating a rapid digestion process (“RDP”) product are described. The method includes receiving a bitumen compound and first heating the bitumen compound to 320° F. to 420° F. The method then proceeds to add tire rubber to the bitumen compound. The bitumen compound and the tire rubber are mixed for 5 minutes to 360 minutes during a second heating to 525° F. to 700° F. Further, sulfur is added to the mixture of tire rubber and bitumen compound. These steps generate the RDP product. The RDP product is then cooled for transfer to a storage vessel.

Inventors

  • Joseph Randall Bruns
  • Hashem Hashemi

Assignees

  • ASPHALT SCIENCES LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20221003

Claims (10)

  1. 1 . A method for generating a modified dissolved tire rubber bitumen compound comprising: receiving bitumen compound; heating the bitumen compound to between 320° F. to 420° F.; adding a tire rubber to the bitumen compound; mixing the bitumen compound and the tire rubber for 5 minutes to 360 minutes, wherein the bitumen compound and the tire rubber are heated submitted to a second heating of between 525° F. to 700° F. during mixing; adding sulfur to the mixture of the tire rubber and the bitumen compound; and cooling the resulting modified dissolved tire rubber bitumen compound.
  2. 2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising applying a neutral gas when generating the modified dissolved tire rubber bitumen compound.
  3. 3 . The method of claim 1 further comprising cooling the modified dissolved tire rubber bitumen compound to 500° F. to 350° F.
  4. 4 . The method of claim 1 further including separating the modified dissolved tire rubber bitumen compound from a metallic alloy.
  5. 5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the bitumen compound has a penetration of 0 dmm to 200 dmm.
  6. 6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the bitumen compound is received by a reaction vessel, the tire rubber is added to the bitumen compound in the reaction vessel, and the reaction vessel is heated to between 320° F. to 420° F. to generate a first processed tire rubber and bitumen mixture; and the modified dissolved tire rubber bitumen compound is generated in the reaction vessel by heating the first processed tire rubber and bitumen mixture to 525° F. to 700° F.
  7. 7 . The method of claim 1 further comprising cross-linking one of the tire rubber, the bitumen compound, the modified dissolved tire rubber bitumen compound, and any combination thereof with the added sulfur.
  8. 8 . The method of claim 1 wherein there is little or no oxidation of the bitumen compound, the tire rubber, and the modified dissolved tire rubber bitumen compound.
  9. 9 . The method of claim 1 further comprising: generating volatile organic compounds (“VOCs”); and cross-linking at least some of the VOCs with the added sulfur.
  10. 10 . The method of claim 1 further comprising applying a vacuum when generating the modified dissolved tire rubber bitumen compound.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE This patent application is a continuation-in-part of utility patent application Ser. No. 17/086,948, filed on Nov. 2, 2020, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING TIRE RUBBER ASPHALT, which is a continuation of utility patent application Ser. No. 16/255,804, filed on Jan. 23, 2019 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,843,966), entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING TIRE RUBBER ASPHALT, which claims the benefit of provisional patent application 62/661,609 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DISSOLVING TIRE RUBBER filed on Apr. 23, 2018 and is a continuation-in-part of utility patent application Ser. No. 15/283,821, filed Oct. 3, 2016 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,214,617), entitled DISSOLVING TIRE RUBBER, which claims the benefit of provisional patent application no. 62/236,861, entitled DISSOLVING TIRE RUBBER filed on Oct. 3, 2015; all of which patent applications are incorporated by reference in this patent application. FIELD This invention relates to a composition, system, and method for generating a tire rubber bitumen. More specifically, the invention relates to a composition, systems, and methods for dissolving tire rubber in bitumen or oil by heating the mixture. BACKGROUND Bitumens have been modified with rubber and elastomers to improve the properties of the resulting composition. For example, in Trumbore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,866, teaches an elastomeric-bitumen composition with improved low temperature performance and reduced resistance to flow at high temperatures. The Trumbore asphalt incorporates SBS and SIS block copolymers as the elastomeric compounds, but does not phase separate and is compatible to production at high temperatures up to 475° F. (246° C.). While Nielsen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,023, teaches one of the earliest examples showing the incorporation of reclaimed rubber into asphalt for paving using elevated temperatures up to 450° F. (232° C.) with an admixture of aromatic oils. Each year the U.S. generates approximately 290 million scrap tires. About 12 million scrap tires are converted into ground tire rubber (“GTR”) or crumb rubber for modifying asphalt cements. Asphalt bitumen is a mixture of relatively high molecular weight compounds that do not distill off of petroleum in a refinery and include practically no polymers. In contrast, the major component of tire rubbers are cross-linked polymers. The utilization of scrap tire rubber in asphalt bitumen started in the mid-1960's when GTR was placed in asphalt bitumen surface treatments, such as chip seal applications. Martin, EP1877493, teaches a modified asphalt binder composition that includes about 40% by weight to about 98.9% by weight asphalt binder material, about 0.5% by weight to about 25% by weight crumb rubber, about 0.5% by weight to about 30% by weight of at least one synthetic polymer, and about 0.05% by weight to about 5% by weight of at least one acid. Martin also teaches a method for making a modified asphalt binder composition that includes providing neat asphalt, heating the neat asphalt to a temperature of between about 120° C. (248° F.) and about 200° C. (392° F.), adding modifying ingredients to the neat asphalt sequentially with mixing for period of between about 5 minutes and about 10 hours each, and agitating the with a low shear mixer or a high shear mixer for an additional period of between about 5 minutes and about 48 hours. Davis, U.S. Pat. No. 10,457,602, teaches asphalt formulations and methods of preparation suitable for roofing products that incorporate elastomers, post-consumer recycled olefinic polymers, and 10-80 mesh GTR. However, the inclusion of olefinic polymers, and especially polypropylene, disadvantageously decreases the impact resistance performance of asphalt shingle roof coatings. In all the disclosed formulations Davis limits the incorporation of GTR to 20% or less by weight and the incorporation of polymer elastomers to 18% or less by weight. Further, Davis limits the disclosed methods of preparation to mixing temperatures below 425° F. (218° C.). In terms of environmental concerns, the disposal of scrap tires is a major waste management issue. While these environmental concerns are important, there are various challenges associated with using GTR and other forms of scrap tire rubber. An initial challenge encountered with the use of GTR or crumb rubber is their respective production. Both crumb rubber and GTR, such as ASTM Standards D5603 and 5644, are commonly prepared by removing steel belts, bead wire, and various incorporated fabric plies from scrap tires. Entire processing facilities are required for removal of steel belts, bead wire and other byproducts incorporated into the scrap tires. For another example, with respect to hot applied chip seal, the inconsistent dissolution of GTR and other forms of scrap tire rubber in asphalt bitumen can result in blockages to hot asphalt spray systems that apply the GTR/asphalt mixture. With respect to asphalt emulsions, the inconsistent dissolution of