Blacktop Recycling
Blacktop pavement is a mix of asphalt and gravel that can be easily pulled up and recycled during construction. Recycling provides environmental benefits, cost savings and engineering flexibility to construction projects.
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Environmental Benefits
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Blacktop gets its color from asphalt, which is a byproduct of petroleum. Recycling blacktop to make new asphalt reduces the amount of new oil needed to produce the pavement. Asphalt can also be processed on site, saving more oil used in the transportation of virgin materials.
Cost Savings
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Contractors and governments can realize cost savings by using recycled asphalt in their pavement mixes. Contractors can freely pull up the asphalt they are replacing and mix it with their new material and are partially protected from the price fluctuations of oil and asphalt. Reusing asphalt also reduces the cost of hauling old asphalt to landfills.
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Engineering Benefits
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Recycled asphalt constitutes anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of new asphalt without any loss of quality. Asphalt can be reused for many construction applications, including fill dirt, road base and embankment. Reuse gives engineers cheap, readily available material to use if changes need to be made or as substitutes for other materials.
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References
- Federal Highway Administration: Asphalt Pavement Recycling with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP)
- American Chemical Society: What's the Stuff
- Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center: Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement - Material Description
- Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association: The Benefits of Using Recycled Asphalt Pavements
Resources
- Photo Credit schnecke image by Stefan Lenz from Fotolia.com
