A New Process Of Asphalt Production From Ethylene Tar

A novel process to produce asphalt for pavement from ethylene tar by air catalytic oxidation with Et3NHCl-AlCl3 as the catalyst is reported in the paper. Research has been made to assess properties of the asphalt modified by different polymer additives. The asphalt produced can meet the requirements of the standards of China for paving.First, we invent a novel process to produce asphalt for pavement from ethylene tar by air catalytic oxidation with Et3NHCl-AlCl3. Single factor experiment design is employed to evaluate the effect of catalyst input, reaction temperature and reaction time on penetration, softening point, ductility of the asphalt product. The optimal preparation condition is determined as follows:the catalyst input is 1.5% of the mass of ethylene tar input, the reaction temperature is 170℃ and the reaction time is 2 h. The flowrate of air is 300 m3/h-t during the whole process. The asphalt products were identified by the FT-IR and NMR analysis, which proved that the ethylene tar has been oxidated and polymerized during the process.Secondly, according to the optimal procedure to produce asphalt, research has been conducted to assess the influence of polymer modifications. Polymers were added into the reacting system before the procedure began. These polymers include styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), recycled tires powder and EVA. The optimal percentage of SBS input is 5%. The optimal percentage of recycled tires powder is 5% and the optimal percentage of EVA is 3%. The best modifier is recycled tires powder. The modified asphalts were analyzed by FT-IR and NMR, the results show that the polymers have facilitated polymerization. The results also show the asphalt and polymers could mix well.