Asphalt compositions including asphaltene and epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer

A method of making an asphalt composition wherein the asphalt composition exhibits the following properties as determined via Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR) testing:

• Non-recoverable creep compliance (Jnr) @ 3.2 kPa<0.2, and
• Percent Recovery (% R) @ 3.2 kPa>40%
• comprising mixing
• at least 70 wt. %, based on the total weight of the asphalt composition, of asphalt:
• from 0.25 wt. % to 5 wt. %, based on the total weight of the asphalt composition, of an epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer represented by the empirical formula “E/X/Y/Z”, wherein
• E represents copolymerized repeat units of the formula —(CH2CH2)— derived from ethylene;
• X represents copolymerized repeat units of the formula —(CH2CR1R2), wherein R1 is hydrogen, methyl, or ethyl, and R2 is carboalkoxy, acyloxy, or alkoxy of 1 to 10 carbon atoms;
• Y represents copolymerized repeat units of the formula —(CH2CR3R4), wherein R3 is hydrogen or methyl and R4 is carboglycidoxy or glycidoxy;
• and
• Z represents optional copolymerized repeat units derived from one or more additional comonomers;
• wherein the amount of X is from 0.1 to about 40 wt. %, the amount of Y is from about 0.3 to about 15 wt. %, the amount of Z is from 0 to about 10 wt. %, the amount of E is complementary to the amounts of X, Y and Z, and wherein the weight percentages of E, X, Y and Z are based on the total weight of the epoxy-functionalized ethylene copolymer;
• from 0.5 wt. % to 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the asphalt composition, of supplemental asphaltene.