New carbon-cutting bio-asphalt could prove to be industry disruptor
The status quo of traditional asphalt-paved roads that span over 2.6 million miles in the U.S. might shift as new methods of producing bio-based asphalt could reshape the future of road production. A team at Verde Resources Inc. in St. Louis, Missouri, developed a reduced-emission foundation that incorporates biochar into the asphalt base, which was first installed at Auburn University’s National Center for Asphalt Technology Test Track. With hopes of reducing the high carbon footprint that petroleum-based asphalt is associated with, the Verde team found success testing its bio-asphalt’s potential to cut costs by eliminating a need for heat during installation and solvents associated with health risks to construction workers.
Verde Resources Inc. CEO Jack Wong noted, “I believe we have created a model, a blueprint that can tap into existing infrastructures, tap into existing industries to allow them to seamlessly transition to net zero.”
