US 5,848,755 AGranted

Asphalt material recycling system and method

AssigneeEnvironmental Reprocessing, Inc.

InventorsThomas J. Zickell, Mat Bockh, Charles Diman

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An asphalt roofing material recycling system and method is used to recycle asphalt materials, such as asphalt shingles and tar paper that include granules, fibers or other particles. The asphalt material is simultaneously heated and milled in a heated milling apparatus, such as a heated ball mill, to reduce the asphalt material granules to a fine mesh in suspension in liquid asphalt. Excess moisture is removed from the asphalt material being recycled, either during heating and milling by continuously venting the heated milling apparatus, or before the heating and milling in a drying apparatus. The heated milling apparatus preferably includes a rotatable milling vessel rotated at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal plane and having an opening that provides continuous venting. The rotatable milling vessel includes a plurality of mixing members, such as rods or paddles, extending from an interior surface and preferably arranged in a helical pattern to force the asphalt material away from the opening. The asphalt material recycling system further includes a storage apparatus for storing reduced asphalt material and a filter apparatus for filtering reduced asphalt and removing foreign objects therefrom.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An asphalt material recycling system comprising:

a heated milling apparatus, for receiving asphalt material to be recycled and for simultaneously heating and milling said asphalt material until said asphalt material is reduced, said heated milling apparatus including:
a rotatable milling vessel having an opening to an interior milling region, for receiving the asphalt material to be recycled and for continuously venting said interior milling region and removing moisture from said asphalt material during heating and milling of said asphalt material, wherein an axis of rotation of said milling vessel is disposed at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and whereby said milling vessel is rotated at said acute angle with respect to said horizontal plane;
a milling vessel rotation mechanism, coupled to said rotatable milling vessel, for rotating said rotatable milling vessel and said asphalt material in said interior milling region;
a plurality of milling elements disposed within said rotatable milling vessel, for milling the asphalt material as said rotatable milling vessel rotates;
and
a milling vessel heat source, for heating said rotatable milling vessel as said rotatable milling vessel rotates and said asphalt material is milled;
and
a filtering apparatus, for receiving reduced asphalt material, and for filtering reduced asphalt material and removing at least foreign objects from said reduced asphalt material, said filtering apparatus including:
a filter housing having an inlet, for receiving said reduced asphalt material, and an outlet, for discharging filtered, reduced asphalt material;
and
at least one filter member disposed in said filter housing, said at least one filter member having a plurality of apertures, for allowing reduced asphalt to pass through sand filter member and for preventing at least foreign objects from passing through the filter member.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/756,881Filed 2 Dec 1996
Granted: 15 Dec 1998
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

F26B 11/045
Having conductive heating arrangements, e.g. heated drum wall: using heated internal elements, e.g. which move through or convey the materials to…
B02C 17/04
Disintegrating by tumbling mills, i.e. mills having a container charged with the material to be disintegrated with or without special…: with…
B02C 19/186
Use of auxiliary physical effects, e.g. ultrasonic waves or irradiation, for disintegrating: use of cold or heat for disintegrating
E01C 19/05
For preparing the materials: crushing, pulverising or disintegrating apparatus ; Aggregate screening, cleaning, drying or heating apparatus;…