A method for manufacturing a processed asphalt suspension is provided. The method includes dry grinding shingle waste material to a particle size of less than 1 cm, forming ground recycled shingle material, introducing virgin asphalt into a heated slurry tank and mixing the ground recycled shingle material with the virgin asphalt in the heated slurry tank, forming a mixed asphalt slurry, introducing the mixed asphalt slurry into a wet grinding machine, and recovering a processed asphalt suspension comprising particles having a size no greater than about 200 microns. Roofing and paving products manufactured from the processed asphalt suspension are also provided.

A method for forming mesophase pitch can include applying a stimulus to a first amount of coal tar to form a first amount of mesophase pitch. The stimulus can include one or more of an electromagnetic field (EMF) or a magnetic field. The method can further include evaluating a characteristic of the first amount of mesophase pitch, changing a parameter of the stimulus in response to evaluating the characteristic of the first amount of mesophase pitch, and applying the stimulus exhibiting the changed parameters to a second amount of coal tar to form mesophase pitch.

An apparatus and method of predicting or determining temperature for thermal cracking of a composite material. Such method includes: (1) reducing the temperature of a composite material along a range of temperatures from a first temperature to a second temperature; (2) measuring dimensional changes in the composite material at a plurality of temperature points along the range of temperatures to generate a curve related to values for the coefficient of thermal expansion for the composite material; and (3) determining the transition temperature for the composite material, the transition temperature being at the intersection of two asymptotes of the curve, wherein the transition temperature correlates to the thermal cracking temperature of the composite material.

A process for making mesophase and/or isotropic pitch. An aromatic rich liquid is charged at high temperature and pressure to a first thermal polymerization reactor to produce an isotropic pitch rich liquid which is flashed. Residual liquid is charged to a second thermal reactor to produce mesophase pitch. The reactors can be either tubular reactors or CSTRs.

The invention provides a method for enriching diluents with butane so as not to violate pre-defined limits for liquid hydrocarbon fuels with respect to density, volatility and low density hydrocarbon content.

Disclosed is method that involves subjecting a base material to an extraction process to extract hydrocarbon fractions having molecular weights within a desired range from the base material to generate a resultant extraction material comprising mostly if not entirely of hydrocarbon fractions having molecular weights within the desired range. In some embodiments, the extraction process can involve performing the extraction in iterations.

A method for producing pitch can include: hydroprocessing a challenged feed from a refinery operation to produce a hydroprocessed product; distilling the hydroprocessed product to yield one or more upgraded fractions and a resid fraction; and solvent deasphalting the resid fraction to yield a deasphalted oil stream and a hydroprocessed pitch stream. The resultant pitch can have a micro carbon residue (MCR) of 50 wt % or greater, a solubility in toluene of 95 wt % or greater, and a softening point of 200 C. or less. The pitch can optionally be fluxed with a fluxing solvent.

The present invention is directed to a method, apparatus and system that are configured to process asphalt roofing shingles so that solid constituent components of such asphalt roofing shingles may be used in asphalt mixtures. The present invention may include pyrolysis of asphalt binder present in the asphalt roofing shingles in order to develop a layer of coke on the solid constituent components, so that the solid constituent components may be suitable for use in the asphalt mixtures in quantities of 5 to 30% by weight of the total weight of the asphalt mixtures. The present invention is also directed to the asphalt mixtures that include 5 to 30% by weight of the solid constituent components of the asphalt roofing shingles that have been processed in accordance with the method, apparatus and/or system of the present invention.

A method for manufacturing a processed asphalt suspension is provided. The method includes dry grinding shingle waste material to a particle size of less than 1 cm, forming ground recycled shingle material, introducing virgin asphalt into a heated slurry tank and mixing the ground recycled shingle material with the virgin asphalt in the heated slurry tank, forming a mixed asphalt slurry, introducing the mixed asphalt slurry into a wet grinding machine, and recovering a processed asphalt suspension comprising particles having a size no greater than about 200 microns. Roofing and paving products manufactured from the processed asphalt suspension are also provided.

Pitch compositions may be obtained by subjecting one or more crude oils to steam cracking. Processes for producing pitch compositions suitable for spinning into fibers from steam cracking of crude oils may comprise: steam cracking of one or more crude oils in a steam cracking zone to produce a first effluent comprising a heavy oil mixture comprising a steam cracker tar, a second effluent comprising a mixture of gaseous products and liquid products, and a third effluent comprising one or more bottoms products; pretreating and heat treating the first, second and/or third effluent to produce a pitch composition having a mesophase content from 0 vol % to 100 vol %, based on the total volume of the pitch product, an MCR in the range of about 40 wt % to about 95 wt %, and a softening point T.sub.sp in the range of about 50 C. to about 400 C.