Traditional asphalt binder is residue obtained during the crude petroleum refining process. Increased environmental regulations that maximize fuel quantity while minimizing asphalt residue have increased the cost of asphalt in recent years: high oil price and tight asphalt supply have doubled the price of asphalt in the U.S. from $340 per ton to $750 per ton. In the alternative, about three billion gallons of waste cooking oil are produced each year, and waste cooking oils are available at a substantially lower cost ($0.06 per lb). The cost of bioasphalt, estimated at $164 per ton, is significantly lower than that of petroleum-based asphalt, which costs an average of $750 per ton (depending on the grade of asphlalt). To address these challenges, industries are seeking an alternative binder to replace or reduce the petroleum-based asphalt used in hot-mix asphalt. Because of concerns over dependence on foreign oil, high energy consumption, and climate change, nonpetroleum-based bioasphalt would be a plausible solution. The technology proposed in this research takes advantage of two value byproducts—waste cooking oil and lignin—and creatively converts them into a new product that is suitable for binding aggregates, thus lowering the price for the resultant commodity product. The aim of this research is to develop a 100 percent waste cooking oil-based bioasphalt modified with lignin-derived epoxy (LEP); the result would be a bioasphalt with performance superior to petroleum-based asphalt that can be produced at a lower cost with less destructive environmental impact.

Goal:

Development of a 100 percent waste cooking oil-based bioasphalt modified with lignin-derived epoxy.

• Exploratory Advanced Research

• FY 2002-2022 / Exploratory Advanced Research