United States Department of Transportation
i
Novel Development of A Bio-Based Binder for Sustainable Construction: [fact sheet]
-
2018-09-01
[PDF-423.35 KB]
Details:
-
Corporate Creators:
-
Contributors:
-
Corporate Contributors:
-
Subject/TRT Terms:
-
Publication/ Report Number:
-
Resource Type:
-
Geographical Coverage:
-
Corporate Publisher:
-
Abstract:One objective of the Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program within the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is to cultivate research projects that demonstrate the potential of new materials that are less reliant on limited natural resources for highway transportation. This research project at Washington State University had that same aim. Researchers there developed and tested a method of mixing waste cooking oil with a byproduct of pulp mills. They produced a “glue” that bound the coarse and fine aggregate particles of asphalt. The goal in producing this bio-based binder from cooking oil was to produce a substance that was comparable or superior in performance to petroleum-based asphalt binders to use in constructing roads and other similar projects.
A bio-based binder could provide many benefits. The costs of petroleum-based asphalt can be high because prices are connected to the production and sale of crude oil. Meanwhile, prices for waste cooking oil are significantly cheaper than petroleum-based asphalt binders. But even if the prices of these materials change, narrowing the spread in costs, using a bio-based binder may still make more sense economically for State departments of transportation and other groups when constructing roads. Employing waste cooking oil—the kind used in restaurants to cook French fries and chicken nuggets—also enables recycling. The industrial partner in this project, Pavement Preservation Systems, assisted the research team in developing this bio-based binder for industry use.
-
Format:
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
