Self-healing asphalt roads could tackle pothole pandemic
New self-healing asphalt roads could be developed to help the UK tackle its pothole pandemic, which is estimated to cost the £143,5m a year.
The solution, created from biomass waste with the aid of artificial intelligence technology, is being created by research experts from Swansea University, King’s College London, and scientists in Chile.
It could result in cracked roads repairing themselves without human intervention or maintenance.
Cracking occurs when bitumen, the sticky black substance in asphalt, hardens due to oxidation. Scientists have now discovered a method to reverse this process and bind the asphalt back together – with tests finding that micocracks healed themselves in less than an hour.
Self-healing asphalt roads
Dr Norambuena-Contreras, senior lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering at Swansea University, said:
“We are proud to be advancing the development of self-healing asphalt using biomass waste and artificial intelligence. This approach positions our research at the forefront of sustainable infrastructure innovation, contributing to the development of net-zero roads with enhanced durability.”
Dr Francisco Martin-Martinez from King’s College London, added: “Creating asphalt that can heal itself will increase the durability of roads and reduce the need for people to fill in potholes. We are also using sustainable materials in our new asphalt, including biomass waste. This will reduce our dependence on petroleum and natural resources. Biomass waste is available locally and everywhere, and it is cheap.
“Producing infrastructure materials from local resources like waste reduces the dependence on petroleum availability, which helps those areas of the world that have limited access to petroleum-based asphalt.”
