METHODS FOR RETRIEVING, RECLAIMING OR RECYCLING PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AND BYPRODUCTS SUCH AS ASPHALT, AND THE MATERIALS RECOVERED THEREBY

• US 20180334620A1
• Filed: 05/18/2018
• Published: 11/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kailey Marie Fitzpatrick, Kevin Thomas Fitzpatrick, Michael Fitzpatrick, Michelle Kotevska, Stojan Kotefski
• Original Assignee: Kailey Marie Fitzpatrick, Kevin Thomas Fitzpatrick, Michael Fitzpatrick, Michelle Kotevska, Stojan Kotefski
• Inventors: Kotefski, Stojan, Fitzpatrick, Michael, Fitzpatrick, Kevin Thomas, Kotevska, Michelle, Fitzpatrick, Kailey Marie
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 11/0288 Applications, solvents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 11/0296 Condensation of solvent vapours condensation in general B01D5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 3/00 Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 3/40 involving thermal treatment, e.g. evaporation processes using mineral binders involving a melting or softening step B09B3/29; involving radiation B09B3/50
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 3/80 involving an extraction step
• CPC Class Codes: B09C 1/02 Extraction using liquids, e.g. washing, leaching , flotation
• CPC Class Codes: C10C 1/14 Winning of tar oils from tar
• CPC Class Codes: C10C 1/18 by extraction with selective solvents preparation of hydrocarbon oils from tar oils C10G21/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10C 3/007 winning and separation of asphalt from mixtures with aggregates, fillers and other products, e.g. winning from natural asphalt and regeneration of waste asphalt
• CPC Class Codes: C10C 3/08 by selective extraction

Abstract

A method is disclosed for the retrieval and recovery of organic-based or organic-containing materials, including naturally occurring substances such as crude oil, and other petroleum-based or containing materials, natural gas, and the like, from environments where they are entrained within or otherwise admixed or complexed with other organic or inorganic materials, such as rock, sand, shale and the like. The method comprises:

• • (a) retrieving a quantity of the petroleum-containing mixture,
  • (b) treating the petroleum-containing mixture with a solvent for the petroleum material to separate the petroleum material from the mixture and
  • (c) recovering the petroleum-containing material separated in step (b).
    The method also includes the reclamation or recycling of asphalt or asphalt components to produce reusable asphalt or asphalt components featuring (a) providing crushed asphalt or asphalt components, and (b) adding the asphalt or asphalt components to a solvent in which the asphalt binder is soluble. The solvent may be at approximately ambient temperature and may be, for instance, heptane, hexane, naphtha, kerosene, gasoline or a petroleum based solvent or any other suitable solvent in which the asphalt binder is soluble.

Claims

1. A method to reclaim or recycle asphalt or asphalt components to produce reusable asphalt or asphalt components comprising

(a) providing crushed asphalt or asphalt components;

and

(b) adding the asphalt or asphalt components to a solvent in which the asphalt binder is soluble.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the solvent is provided at approximately ambient temperature.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of heptane, hexane, naphtha, kerosene, gasoline or a petroleum based solvent.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the solvent is provided in an automated parts washer.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising grinding or breaking the asphalt to be reclaimed or recycled into chunks, millings or particulate prior to step a).

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising

c) screening or separating coarse aggregate and fine aggregate asphalt components from the solution of b).

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising

d) cleaning or removing asphalt binder and/or the solvent from the coarse aggregate and fine aggregate asphalt components screened or separated in step c).

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the cleaning or removing asphalt binder and/or the solution from the coarse aggregate and fine aggregate asphalt components is performed by centrifugal spinning or by adding a second solution effective to remove the asphalt binder and/or the first solution.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising

e) cleaning or removing asphalt binder from the solution of b).

10. A reclaimed asphalt or asphalt component reclaimed or recycled according to the method of claim 1.

11. The reclaimed asphalt component of claim 10 comprising one or more components selected from the group consisting of a coarse or mineral aggregate, a fine aggregate and an asphalt binder.

12. The reclaimed asphalt component of claim 11 featuring binding properties for binding to an asphalt binder that are superior to the binding properties of virgin asphalt or virgin asphalt components.

13. The reclaimed coarse or mineral aggregate of claim 11 wherein the coarse or mineral aggregate is substantially coated with asphalt binder or the solvent.

14. The reclaimed fine aggregate of claim 11 wherein the fine aggregate is substantially coated with asphalt binder or the solvent.

15. The reclaimed asphalt binder of claim 11 wherein the asphalt binder is a liquid dissolved in the solvent.

16. The method according to claim 1 effective to remove at least 25% of asphalt binder from the crushed asphalt or asphalt components.

17. A two step integrated method to reclaim or recycle asphalt or asphalt components to produce reusable asphalt or asphalt components comprising:

(a) providing crushed asphalt or asphalt components;

(b) adding the asphalt or asphalt components to a solvent in which the asphalt binder is soluble;

(c) screening or separating coarse aggregate and fine aggregate asphalt components from the solution of b);

(d) adding the asphalt components obtained from c) to a solution at a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the asphalt binder;

(e) screening or separating coarse aggregate and fine aggregate asphalt components from the solution of d); and

(f) cleaning or removing asphalt binder and/or the solution from the coarse aggregate and fine aggregate asphalt components screened or separated in step e).

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising g) cleaning or removing asphalt binder from the solution of d).

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the solvent of b) is provided at about ambient temperature in an automated parts washer.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the solution of d) is at least 350°

F.

21. A method for the retrieval and recovery of petroleum-based or containing materials that are in a mixture with other organic materials and/or with inorganic materials (“

petroleum-containing mixture”

), comprising;

(a) retrieving a quantity of the petroleum-containing mixture,

(b) treating the petroleum-containing mixture with a solvent for the petroleum material to separate the petroleum material from the mixture and

(c) recovering the petroleum-containing material separated in step (b).

22. The method of claim 21 comprising a method for recovering crude oil from shale.

23. The method of claim 21 comprising a method for recovering crude oil from oil tar deposits.

24. The method of claim 21 comprising a method for recovering petroleum products from ground located at the site of an oil storage tank leakage.