Although asphalt pavements are long-lasting and durable, they don't last forever. They naturally deteriorate over time, as essential components in their makeup gradually break down and wear out. Once an asphalt pavement's condition is bad enough to have alligator cracks, potholes, and water pools, replacing it becomes necessary. Luckily, you can tear up a deplorable pavement, recycle the asphalt material, and reuse it. Recycling and reusing recycled asphalt is highly advisable for the following reasons:
1. Save money
Recycled asphalt is more affordable than freshly-made asphalt because this paving solution doesn't demand the same amount of raw materials conventional asphalt does. Remember, you can't make a new asphalt batch without aggregates, which are processed mineral materials like sand, slags, gravel, and crushed rock. You also need fillers such as limestone powder and bitumen binders that enable different aggregates to form a cohesive mixture. These components cost a pretty sum, especially when dealing with an extensive construction project. But recycled asphalt requires significantly fewer materials. That makes it ideal for decimating paving costs.
2. Protect the environment
If you prefer going green by using an eco-friendly paving material, try recycled asphalt. This option, first and foremost, makes mining new asphalt unnecessary. And that prevents the excessive mining and eventual depletion of naturally-occurring asphalt. Recycling asphalt also reduces the need to haul materials from the mines to the refineries and, lastly, to construction sites. That is beneficial because asphalt transportation leads to emissions harmful to the environment. Not to forget, the only other alternative to recycling is dumping old asphalt in landfills. Disposing of all used asphalt in landfills is detrimental. That is more so when you consider that landfills fueled by approximately 292.4 million tons of solid waste produced annually in the United States are already becoming a significant issue.
3. Visual appeal and quality
If you are worried recycling asphalt will lead to quality loss, fret no more. Recycled asphalt material is just as good as a new batch, if not better. In fact, this paving solution contains tar residues that facilitate stronger bonding when the material is compacted. On the other hand, conventional asphalt sometimes has bonding issues resulting from loosely filled aggregates. On top of all these, recycled asphalt pavements are visually appealing.
Need Asphalt Recycling Machines?
Asphalt recycling is something every project owner and paving company should consider. However, to do it and enjoy the benefits that follow, you need state-of-the-art asphalt pavement recyclers. These recyclers are heavy-duty machines designed to convert sizable asphalt pavement millings or chunks into a hot plant-quality, ready-to-use mix. Therefore, working with a recycler is the best way to get a cheaper, more robust paving material and avoid costly new asphalt production processes.
Share9 March 2022
Paving contractors spend all day laying the pavement. We figured that the least we could do was write about it! In other words, we plan on laying the pavement of information. Yes, that sounds a little cheesy, but sometimes it's okay to sound cheesy when talking about something as serious as pavement. We caught your attention, didn't we? Now that we've caught your attention, allow us to share a little more about this blog. It will feature articles about paving and pavement contractors, and we plan on providing a lot of different information and perspectives as we go. You're welcome to join us!