Kraton Chemical, LLC

William Lewis Grady

David Jan Cornelius Broere

Laurent Porot

Tresha Overstreet

Rachel Severance

Charles David Moses

Asphalt compositions comprising reclaimed asphalt and a rejuvenating agent are disclosed. The reclaimed asphalt comprises aggregate and an aged binder. The rejuvenating agent, which has a cyclic content of at least 5 wt. %, comprises an ester or ester blend derived from an acid selected from aromatic acids, fatty acids, fatty acid monomers, fatty acid dimers, fatty acid trimers, rosin acids, rosin acid dimers, and mixtures thereof. The rejuvenating agent revitalizes the aged bitumen binder of reclaimed asphalt and restores its physical properties to those of the original performance-grade bitumen. Improvements include desirable softening, low-temperature cracking resistance, better fatigue cracking resistance, good elevated temperature performance, improved miscibility, and restored temperature sensitivity. The rejuvenating agents enable the use of higher levels of recovered asphalt, particularly RAP, in asphalt mixtures, reduce binder and aggregate costs, and help the road construction industry reduce its reliance on virgin, non-renewable materials.

Rejuvenation of reclaimed asphalt

Asphalt compositions comprising reclaimed asphalt and an ester-functional rejuvenating agent derived from tall oil are disclosed. Rejuvenated binder compositions are also included. The rejuvenating agents restore to reclaimed asphalt desirable properties of virgin asphalt. Reduced glass-transition onset temperatures and improved creep stiffness in the rejuvenated binders translate to improved low-temperature cracking resistance in the asphalt. The rejuvenating agents impart desirable softening at low dosage while also maintaining acceptable penetration values. Dynamic shear rheometry results demonstrate that criteria for asphalt compositions under low, intermediate, and high temperature conditions can be achieved, and the asphalt will have good fatigue cracking resistance and rutting avoidance. The rejuvenating agents reduce the temperature needed to compact or mix asphalt compositions, which conserves energy and reduces cost. The rejuvenated asphalt and binder compositions enable greater use of reclaimed asphalt, especially RAP, and help the road construction industry reduce its reliance on virgin, non-renewable materials.

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Savannah, GA, United States of America

William Lewis Grady