(19) TZZ ¥_T (11) EP 2 563 878 B1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publication and mention (51) Int Cl.: of the grant of the patent: C10C 3/14 (2006.01) C08L 95/00 (2006.01) 26.06.2019 Bulletin 2019/26 (86) International application number: (21) Application number: 11777914.0 PCT/US2011/033960 (22) Date of filing: 26.04.2011 (87) International publication number: WO 2011/139698 (10.11.2011 Gazette 2011/45) (54) PELLETIZING ASPHALT PELLETASPHALT PROCÉDÉ CONTINU POUR LE FRACTIONNEMENT, LA COMBINAISON ET LA RECOMBINAISON DE COMPOSANTS ASPHALTIQUES POUR LE BOULETAGE ET LE CONDITIONNEMENT D’ASPHALTE ET DE PRODUITS À BASE D’ASPHALTE (84) Designated Contracting States: • BOLTON, John AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB Eagle Rock, VA 24085 (US) GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR (74) Representative: HGF Limited Designated Extension States: Saviour House BA ME 9 St. Saviourgate York YO1 8NQ (GB) (30) Priority: 26.04.2010 US 327747 P (56) References cited: (43) Date of publication of application: WO-A1-2010/025212 US-A- 3 235 483 06.03.2013 Bulletin 2013/10 US-A- 3 403 093 US-A- 3 847 751 US-A- 4 428 824 US-A- 4 572 781 (73) Proprietor: Gala Industries, Inc. US-A1- 2006 288 907 US-A1- 2009 272 676 Eagle Rock, VA 24085 (US) US-A1- 2009 301 931 US-B1- 6 558 462 (72) Inventors: • WRIGHT, Roger B. Staunton, VA 24401 (US) Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European Patent Bulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). EP 2 563 878 B1 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) 1 EP 2 563 878 B1 2 Description EP 1 647 788, EP 1 650 516. These patents and appli- cations are all owned by the assignee and are included CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION herein by way of reference in their entirety. [0005] United Kingdom Patent No. GB 252,802 dis- [0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to 5 closes a process by which natural asphalt including Trini- U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/327,747, entitled dad pitch lake asphalt is dug from the source, heated "Continuous Process for Fractioning, Combination, and directly or indirectly by steam heat to reduce it to a liquid Recombination of Asphalt Components for Pelletization and transferred from the stills to drums for cooling. Alter- and Packaging of Asphalt and Asphalt-Containing Prod- natively, this material identified as epuré can be formed ucts," and filed on 26 April 2010, which is hereby incor- 10 into block, briquettes, or pulverized for further processing porated by reference in its entirety herein. and application. The heating reduces the moisture con- tent with melting at a temperature from 300°F to 350 °F BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION leaving a composition for the Trinidad epuré of approxi- mately 56% bitumen and approximately 44% of earthy 1. Field of the Invention 15 matter. Similarly United Kingdom Patent No. 1897 5439 discloses rinsing of the lake asphalt to remove soluble [0002] The presentinvention relates generallyto a con- salts and non-bituminous organic matters. This rinsed tinuous process for fractioning, combining, and recom- asphalt is warmed by passing steam therethrough and bining asphalt components for pelletization of asphalt toit isadded aheavy oil as well as crushedand pulverized and asphalt-containing products such that the pellets 20 stone and limestone material from which combination formedare generallyuniform in dimension,freely flowing, can be made into blocks, tiles, and the like. free from agglomeration, and the pelletized asphalt is [0006] French Patent No. 1,519,436 discloses pack- packaged, and preferably compatibly packaged, for ad- aging wet granular asphalt in a bag such that the con- ditional processing and applications. trolled amount of water present with a small amount of 25 surfactant is sufficient to maintain the pellets in a free- 2. Description of the Prior Art flowing manner. [0007] US Patent No. 5,688,449 discloses a method [0003] Pelletization equipment and its use following of uniformly coating an extruded plastic pellet using a extrusion processing has been introduced and/or utilized binder applied to the surface of the pellet to which is ad- in applications by the assignee for many years as is ex- 30 hered an additive, and more specifically to use as an emplified by prior art disclosures including US Patent additive that is an anti-blocking agent. The document re- Nos. 4,123,207; 4,251,198; 4,500,271; 4,621,996; mains silent regarding a uniform coating applied to as- 4,728,176; 4,888,990; 5,059,103; 5,403,176; 5,624,688; phalt and asphalt-containing pellets. In addition, the pat- 6,332,765; 6,551,087; 6,793,473; 6,824,371; 6,925,741; ent discloses equipment for use in batch processes 7,033,152; 7,172,397; US Patent Application Publication 35 wherein the pellets are placed in a rotatable drum in one Nos. 20050220920, 20060165834; German Patents and portion onto which is poured the adhesive binder and Applications including DE 32 43 332, DE 37 02 841, DE subsequent additive but remains silent as to a method 87 01 490, DE 196 42 389, DE 196 51 354, DE 296 24 by which a continuous flow of pellets is uniformly coated 638; World Patent Application Publicationswith adhesive binder to which is continuously and uni- WO2006/087179, WO2006/081140, WO2006/087179, 40 formly applied the additive component with subsequent WO2007/064580, WO2007/089497, WO2007/142783, drying. and WO2009/020475; and European Patents including [0008] German Patent No. DE 44 07 822 similarly dis- EP 1 218 156 and EP 1 582 327. These patents and closesa hardenable coating formed by applying a binding applications are all owned by the assignee and are in- agent onto the damp surface of an asphalt granule or cluded herein by way of reference in their entirety. 45 pellet and allowing the binder to dry and harden. German [0004] Similarly, dryer equipment has been introduced Patent Application Publication No. DE 195 33 011 mod- and used in applications following extrusion and pelleti- ifies this concept by adding the binder when dry to pul- zation for many years by the assignee as demonstrated verulent asphalt to form a granule or pellet that hardens in, for example, US Patent Nos. 3,458,045; 4,218,323; on moisturization. 4,447,325; 4,565,015; 4,896,435; 5,265,347; 5,638,606; 50 [0009] Mineral-coated pellets can be formed by spray- 6,138,375; 6,237,244; 6,739,457; 6,807,748; 7,024,794; ing molten asphalt in a downward direction into an up- 7,172,397; US Patent Application Publication No. ward flow of air carrying fine dust particles of the minerals 20060130353; WorldPatent Application Publication Nos. to be coated on the surface as disclosed in US Patent WO2006/069022, WO2006/127698, WO2008/113560, No. 3,026,568. Limestone, clay, Portland cement, min- WO2008/147514, and WO2009/032745; German Pat- 55 eral flour, and diatomaceous earth are cited as fine min- ents and Applications including DE 19 53 741, DE 28 19 eral powders for directly coating on the sprayed asphalt 443, DE 43 30 078, DE 93 20 744, DE 197 08 988; and material. European Patents including EP 1 033 545, EP 1 602 888, [0010] Sulfur-coated pellets are disclosed in US Patent 2 3 EP 2 563 878 B1 4 No. 4,769,288 wherein pellets are described as being [0017] Underwater pelletization following extrusion is rolled into shape, cooled in a controlled fashion, and sub- disclosed in US Patent No. 6,679,941 for asphalt mate- sequently dipped in molten sulfur. Use of a binder is also rials. Cooling of the melt to form pellets is discussed but disclosed. The patent remains silent regarding other pel- the document remains silent as to cooling in upstream letization processes. 5 processes. The document further discloses a continu- [0011] Geopolymers are disclosed in European Patent ously cooled belt typically used to produce pastilles of No. EP 0 153 097; and US Patent Nos. 4,028,454; asphalt and the like. No disclosure of fractioning, combi- 4,349,386; 4,472,199; 4,509,985; 4,859,367; 4,888,311; nation, and recombination of asphalt components form- 5,288,321; 5,342,595; 5,349,118; 5,352,427; 5,539,140; ing free-flowing pelletsand thus to prevent agglomeration and5,798,307. These documentsremain silent as to their 10 is provided in the instant patent. usefulness in asphalt and asphalt composites and for- [0018] World Patent Application Publication No. mulations. WO/2007/064580 discloses the use of controlled cooling [0012] A coated hot melt adhesive pellet is disclosed processes to form asphalt pellets but remains silent as in US Patent No. 6,120,899 wherein the coated pellet to the methods for fractioning, combining, and recombin- contains from 1% to 30% of a substantially continuous 15 ing asphalt components to form free-flowing pellets and non-tacky coating material. The document remains silent thus to prevent undue agglomeration of the pellets as as to the use of such coatings on materials that are not they warm toward ambient temperatures on removal from hot melt adhesive compositions.