Sustainable Solution to Fix America's Deteriorating Roads: The University of Missouri's Recyclable Plastic Waste Pavement
Key Highlights :
Millions of roads across the United States are constructed with asphalt pavement that is deteriorating over time. As a sustainable solution to fix America's fracturing road system, researchers at the University of Missouri are using recyclables, including plastic waste, as a viable alternative. In partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL) recently created a real-world test road using recycled materials like scrap tires and plastic waste along a portion of Interstate 155 in the Missouri Bootheel.
The I-155 project takes the group's previous test road, installed along a stretch of Stadium Boulevard in Columbia, Missouri, one step further. Instead of just testing four different types of recycled materials, the I-155 project will evaluate the real-world effectiveness of nine different types of recycled materials in the creation of asphalt pavement. This includes three different types of polyethylene (PE)—a material commonly found in plastic grocery bags—and ground tire rubber, which is a newer way of disposing scrap tires.
Bill Buttlar, director of MAPIL, said that by increasing the sustainability of asphalt mixes, this innovative method can help reduce the number of items going into landfills or leaking into the environment. He added that the team takes a pragmatic view in order to make the process easily adaptable, scalable, and cost-effective to incorporate into many types of road environments.
The MAPIL team also developed a mobile research lab which they used for both the Stadium Boulevard and I-155 projects. This lab allows for rapid testing of samples and provides results within 24–48 hours to better inform the process.
The researchers must make sure that everything they do is within the current limits as established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They are designing the material to be able to hold or capture the environmental by-products at the highest percentage for the longest amount of time.
Overall, the University of Missouri's use of recycled plastic waste and scrap tires in the construction of asphalt pavement is a sustainable solution to fix America's deteriorating roads. This innovative method can help reduce the number of items going into landfills or leaking into the environment, while also making the value of dollars spent on transportation infrastructure stretch farther into the future.
