By admin Asphalt Paving • 0 Comments

Does Asphalt Affect the Colorado Environment?

Asphalt has been used for centuries as a paving material. It is durable and weather-resistant. Asphalt in Colorado is used to create a variety of surfaces. But what are the environmental effects of using asphalt? Does it affect air quality? Water resources? How does the use of asphalt in Colorado impact city living? This blog post will take a closer look at asphalt and its effect on the Colorado environment.

The Asphalt Creation Process

Asphalt consists of two main ingredients: rock and bitumen. Rock is the foundation of asphalt pavement. It makes up 85-95% of asphalt pavement by weight and provides structural support for the pavement. The asphalt creation process begins with mining or quarrying rock. The rock is then transported to an asphalt plant, where it is crushed and

mixed with bitumen. Bitumen is a black or dark brown viscous material that binds the asphalt pavement together. It is made up of asphalt cement, a by-product of crude oil refining, and aggregate, a mixture of sand, gravel, and crushed stone.

The asphalt pavement is then placed on a road surface and compacted.

Is Asphalt Reusable?

Asphalt is a sustainable material that can be reused and recycled. It is the most recycled material in the United States. Asphalt companies in Colorado are committed to recycling asphalt pavement (RAP) and milling, which reduces waste and conserves resources.

When asphalt is removed from a road surface, it is crushed into smaller pieces and used as a base for new asphalt pavements. This process is called milling. Milling asphalt can be used to create various surfaces, such as:

  • A temporary road surface while permanent repairs are being made
  • A stable foundation for asphalt paving
  • A drainage ditch lining
  • A material to fill potholes

Asphalt companies in Colorado are also committed to using recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) in asphalt pavements. RAS is a sustainable material that can be used as an additive to hot mix asphalt (HMA). Adding RAS to HMA increases the pavement’s resistance to cracking and rutting and extends the pavement’s life. Asphalt companies in Colorado use RAS in the asphalt pavement to create a more sustainable product.

Asphalt’s Effect On Air, Water, And City Living

Air

While asphalt pavement is not a significant source of air pollution, asphalt production and asphalt paving can release emissions into the air. These emissions include: 

  1. Carbon monoxide
  2. Nitrogen oxides
  3. Particulate matter
  4. Volatile organic compounds

Water

Asphalt production and asphalt paving can also affect water resources. The asphalt creation process uses a significant amount of water, and asphalt pavement itself can contaminate stormwater runoff if not maintained correctly.

City Living

Asphalt pavement can also impact city living as it is a significant source of noise pollution in cities. In addition, asphalt pavement can be a trip hazard, especially for pedestrians and cyclists.

In conclusion, asphalt pavement can impact the environment, but any asphalt company in Colorado is going to be part of the effort toward working to reduce the environmental impact of their products. They are exploring new methods of production that use recycled materials and are developing ways to reuse and recycle asphalt products. These efforts will help reduce waste produced by asphalt companies and contribute to a cleaner environment.

By admin Asphalt Paving • • • 0 Comments

How Does Asphalt Recycling Work?

While you might recycle aluminum cans or plastic bottles at home, many construction companies rely on asphalt paving companies for recycled asphalt. The main material in asphalt, bitumen, tops the global list of most frequently recycled items.

The petroleum product asphalt provides structural strength, can withstand low and high temperatures, plus it can bind together with other materials. Constantly required in the construction of buildings, roads, sidewalks, pools, patios, and much more, this prized substance can also harm the environment to produce. In the US alone, in 2019, manufacturers produced more than 420 million tons of asphalt.

Asphalt paving companies don’t have to use new asphalt though. They can turn to asphalt recycling to reclaim already used asphalt. This reduces its environmental impact. Once recycled, it becomes shingles, waterproofing, or paving products.

Let’s explore how manufacturers mill asphalt, then recycle it, and how it gets used in its most common form – paving.

Asphalt Milling

Asphalt begins the manufacturing process as crude oil. First heated to distill it, the manufacturer then transfers the oil to an extraction container where it removes volatile components called fractions. The heavy deposit leftover – topped crude becomes asphalt after three more steps.

The manufacturer uses a volatile substance to cut back the asphalt. This creates a malleable substance.

Next, the oil goes through an emulsifying process that makes the substance easier to combine aggregate. In this step, the manufacturer grinds the asphalt into tiny globules measuring less than five microns, then mixes it with water. By adding an emulsifying agent like clay, oil, silicate, or soap, the manufacturer reduces the potential for the asphalt and water to separate.

In the final step of making commercial asphalt, the manufacturer pulverizes it to powdered form and sieves it to create granules of a uniform size.

Asphalt Recycling

Asphalt recycling offers a cost-efficient and green method of obtaining this widely used construction material. Recycled asphalt provides no less a product than new asphalt. It provides the same durability and versatility.

Recycled asphalt goes through a milling process in which the manufacturer removes the top layer from the surface on which it got used. This might mean removing the top of a parking lot or driveway or shingling from a rooftop.

Transported to an asphalt plant, the reclaimed product goes through sizing and screening, just as it did when originally made. Unlike its original processing cycle though, when recycled the manufacturer can use either a hot or a cold process to start.

Once it has repeated the original milling process, an asphalt paving company can again use it for a new project. Asphalt offers an ideal construction material since it can undergo multiple recycling cycles without harming its durability or quality.

Asphalt Paving

In some cases, recycled asphalt provides advantages that virgin asphalt cannot. It can contain mineral fillers that increase its strength. It costs less and demands less labor. With respect to its appearance and performance, it offers increased permeability and varying shades of gray. Virgin asphalt comes in black only.

Try Recycled Asphalt

The demand for asphalt continues to grow – about three percent each year. Turn to the $7.1 billion asphalt recovery market for your construction needs. It offers a real money saver for asphalt paving companies.