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Infusing asphalt with plastic could help roads last longer and resist cracking under heat (theconversation.com)
submitted 9 months ago by to c/science@lemmy.world
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[–] 2 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Are you certain of that? There are many kinds of plastic with various plasticity and heat properties.

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago* (1 child)

    Well, there are many kinds of plastic, technically, this could be something new. But some places have been adding plastic to asphalt for a while now, it certainly is cheaper in the short/medium term. And who knows, maybe this has different properties from all the existing systems, but I doubt it. I think this is just reporting research findings on the existing systems.

    Currently, where I've seen this done, when the road finally does need repair, you have a whole lot of heavy waste to deal with. I don't have exact numbers on hand for what the financial or environmental cost comparisons are, but I think anyone could infer that reusing 100% of the existing material, and adding an extra 20% in order to repave a road is probably going to be a more optimal option when compared to replacing it all and then dealing with a huge amount of waste.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago

    If they can't reuse it 100%, then it shouldn't be considered, obviously. If it adds more microplastic to the environment, then it's bad, obviously. But we have a shitload of plastic waste and if we can find some reusable way to put it to use, that would be preferred.

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