• Improving asphalt road pavement using en

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 22:30:40
    Improving asphalt road pavement using engineered nano mineral composites


    Date:
    March 29, 2022
    Source:
    Swansea University
    Summary:
    Researchers have developed a new, greener nano asphalt binder that
    produces a new type of asphalt which uses less energy and produces
    less vapor and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    A novel and eco-friendly nano asphalt binder has been developed by
    researchers at Swansea University and the Technical University of
    Braunschweig.


    ==========================================================================
    The product generates a new class of warm mix asphalt (WMA) additive
    that significantly reduces energy consumption while simultaneously
    minimizing vapours and greenhouse gas emissions during the production
    of asphalt mixtures when compared to conventional asphalt, it also works effectively at a large scale.

    To achieve net-zero carbon emissions, Highways UK is increasing the
    adoption of WMA as a standard across its supply chain. When compared to conventional hot- mix asphalts, WMA technologies can provide increased efficiency and reduce carbon production, with CO2 reductions of up
    to 15%. WMAs are produced at temperatures of up to 40DEGC lower than
    ordinary asphalt, therefore, switching to them would save roughly 61,000
    tonnes of CO2 each year in the UK, which is the equivalent of reducing
    300 million miles of automobile travel.

    To address these issues in WMA technology, a team from the Braunschweig Pavement Engineering Centre (ISBS) at the Technische Universita"t
    Braunschweig and Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI) at Swansea
    University have discovered the potential for engineered clay/fumed silica nanocomposites to be used as an anti-aging binder that can not only serve
    to reduce temperatures but also overcome significant limitations caused
    by moisture susceptibility.

    Lead researcher Dr Goshtasp Cheraghian of the Technical University
    of Braunschweigsaid, "The study given fills the technical gap in WMA technology.

    Our nanocomposite is a cost-effective and non-toxic substance that
    can have a significant impact on WMA stability." Dr Sajad Kiani of
    ESRI said: "Typically, asphalt binders are susceptible to aging due
    to heat, air, sunlight, and water, that have a detrimental effect on
    the pavement quality, reducing durability. We found that the addition
    of mineral-reinforced particle will not only decrease oxidation and
    aging of asphalt but also improve road pavement lifespan and decrease asphalt-related emissions." Professor Andrew Barron, the Founder
    and Director of ESRI and the Se^r Cymru Chair of Low Carbon Energy
    and Environment at Swansea University, said "Compared to commercial
    materials, our solution requires lower concentrations (less than 0.3 wt.%)
    of additives due to their superior surface activity, and as such has the potential to solve some of the challenges associated with, less durable
    the roads." Dr Cheraghian summarises: "Our results on the molecular interaction between nanoparticles and asphalt binders could pave the
    way for novel nanotechnology applications in asphalt engineering."

    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Swansea_University. Note: Content
    may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Goshtasp Cheraghian, Michael P. Wistuba, Sajad Kiani, Ali Behnood,
    Masoud
    Afrand, Andrew R. Barron. Engineered nanocomposites in asphalt
    binders.

    Nanotechnology Reviews, 2022; 11 (1): 1047 DOI:
    10.1515/ntrev-2022-0062 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220329090732.htm

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