Roadway surface compositions and pelletized binder materials thereof

1. A road surface composition comprising:

0.1-3.9 wt. % of a styrenic block copolymer (SBC), the SBC has a total polystyrene content of 40-60 wt. %,

wherein the SBC has a general formula configuration selected from at least one of A-B-A, (A-B) n X, (A-B-A) n X, and (A 1 -B) d X- e (B-A 2 ), where X is a residue of a coupling agent and n is 2-30, d is 1-30, and e is 1-30;

wherein block A, A 1 , A 2 is selected from an unhydrogenated or hydrogenated mono alkenyl arene polymer block having a peak number average molecular weight of 3,000-60,000 g/mol;

wherein block B is a rubber block having a peak number average molecular weight of 20,000-300,000 g/mol, comprising polymerized units derived from at least one of the following:

isoprene or isoprene/butadiene, and

a partially hydrogenated or fully hydrogenated copolymer block of at least one conjugated diene and at least one mono alkenyl arene;

1-30 wt. % of a tackifier resin selected from hydrocarbon resins, rosin resins, rosin esters, alkyd resins, and combinations thereof;

1-15 wt. % of pigments;

25-50 wt. % of glass beads;

0.05-60 wt. % of fillers/aggregates;

anti-skid media in an amount of up to 85 wt. %;

waxes in an amount of up to 10 wt. %;

elastomer/plastomer component in an amount of up to 30 wt. %; and

plasticizers in an amount of up to 15 wt. %; and

wherein the road composition is applied directly onto a road way.

2. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the SBC has a particle size of greater than 2500 μm.

3. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the SBC has a diblock content of 1-60 wt. %.

4. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the SBC is a styrene-ethylene/propylene/styrene-styrene (SEPSS) or styrene-ethylene/butylene/styrene-styrene (SEBSS) having a wt. % of mono alkenyl arene in each B block of 5-75 wt. %.

5. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the SBC is a styrene-ethylene/butylene/styrene-styrene (SEBSS) having a vinyl content of 20-80 mol %.

6. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the SBC is a styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) or styrene-isoprene/butadiene-styrene (SIBS) block copolymer having a MW p 80,000-250,000 g/mol.

7. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein block B is at least one conjugated diene and at least one mono alkenyl arene and having a random distribution, a block distribution, a tapered distribution, or a controlled distribution.

8. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the SBC is functionalized with one or more functional groups.

9. The road surface composition of claim 1 , the tackifier resin is a rosin ester selected from hydrogenated rosin ester, acrylic rosin ester, disproportionation rosin ester, dibasic acid modified rosin ester, polymerized resin ester, phenolic modified rosin ester resin, and mixtures thereof.

10. The road surface composition of claim 9 , wherein the rosin ester has a softening point of 80° C. and 150° C.

11. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the alkyd resin is selected from maleated rosin, fumarated rosin, acrylated rosin, amidated rosin, nitrated rosin, chlorinated rosin, brominated rosin, and mixtures thereof.

12. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon resin is selected from the group of C5 aliphatic hydrocarbon resins, C9 aromatic hydrocarbon resins, C5/C9 hydrocarbon blend, and saturated resins made from hydrogenation of these hydrocarbon resin.

13. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the elastomer/plastomer is selected from the group of natural rubber (NR), isoprene rubber (IR), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), chloroprene rubber (CR), butadiene rubber (BR), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), isobutylene-isoprene rubber (IIR), ethylene-propylene diene monomer (EPDM), urethane rubber (UR), silicone rubber (SR), fluorocarbon rubber (FR), ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), graft copolymers of EVA with another monomer, hot melt polyamide resin, and mixtures thereof.

14. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the plasticizer is selected from the group of vegetable oils, process oils, mineral oils, phthalates and mixtures thereof.

15. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the wax is selected from vegetable waxes, petroleum derived waxes, and synthetic waxes.

16. The road surface composition of claim 1 , wherein the SBC and the tackifier resin are combined to form a binder for subsequent adding to the at least a component to form the road surface composition.

17. The road surface composition of claim 16 , wherein the binder is characterized as having a phase separation ratio of 0.4-2 in a Phase Separation Test.

18. The road surface composition of claim 16 , wherein the binder is pelletized prior to adding to the at least a component.

19. The road surface composition of claim 18 , wherein the pelletized binder is coated with an adhesion inhibiting agent prior to adding to the at least a component.

20. The road surface composition of claim 16 , wherein the binder is present in the road surface composition in an amount of 5-30 wt. %, based on the total weight of the composition.