Asphalt is used to pave roads and parking lots and as a building material. Due to its versatility and durability, asphalt has become one of the preferred choices for construction projects. Choose the best asphalt paving contractor in Lancaster.
Asphalt producers use distillation towers to generate bottom residual and flasher tops that are sent away to be processed through a catalytic cracker and eventually used as fuel oil.
It is a binding agent.
Asphalt serves as the glue that holds aggregates together for a durable surface, protecting them from moisture penetration and wear-and-tear damage. As it’s impermeable, water cannot seep into its pores and damage pavement surfaces. Plus, its ability to withstand extreme temperatures and heavy traffic makes asphalt an excellent choice for roads and highways.
Asphalt pavement offers more than its binding and waterproof properties; it is highly durable and flexible, as well as environmentally friendly. It contains few volatile organic compounds and has a recycled content, with 82.2 million tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) recycled into new mixes in 2018—more than paper, plastic, and aluminum combined!
The global asphalt market is expected to experience rapid expansion over the forecast period, driven by rising infrastructure development needs in developing nations, energy-saving technologies, and an increasing interest in eco-friendly building materials.
Asphalt is a black or brown petroleum-like material with a viscous liquid to glassy solid consistency that can be obtained either naturally from deposits like the Pitch Lake in Trinidad or refined via petroleum production with lower mineral content and increased viscosity than natural asphalt. Refined asphalt comes from petroleum production but lacks these properties because it is manufactured.
It is a paving material.
Asphalt is a multifunctional building material with numerous construction applications. Known for its durability and flexibility, asphalt is an excellent material choice for road-building projects. It reduces congestion and pollution while being cost-effective enough for government agencies to spend on other crucial infrastructure initiatives.
Asphalt pavements offer several distinct advantages over concrete ones: They’re quieter and provide drivers with a safer driving environment, and recycling/reusing them benefits the environment as well. Furthermore, the asphalt industry has made a commitment to reducing its environmental impact through sustainable practices.
Industry uses a process called rubblization, which recycles worn-out asphalt pavement for use in road construction projects. This saves fuel required by hauling trucks away from old material while conserving natural resources and eliminating delays associated with removal and replacement projects that waste precious resources and slow travel times.
Asphalt’s primary ingredient is aggregate, which is comprised of crushed rock, sand, and gravel. A binder such as bitumen is typically added to bind the aggregates together; alternative organic or bio-based binder options are being explored as ways to minimize the environmental impact of asphalt production. Once mixed with an asphalt binder at high temperatures to form a hot mix asphalt product, its properties, such as penetration depth and viscosity, are assessed before being graded accordingly.
It is a construction material.
Asphalt is widely used in construction to form solid foundations for roads, airports, and other infrastructure, providing engineers and truck drivers with jobs. Though its production requires significant energy consumption and resource usage, new technologies are helping mitigate its environmental impact – warm-mix asphalt production is one such example, which creates more durable products at lower temperatures, which in turn reduces greenhouse gas emissions while improving sustainability.
An asphalt paving mixture consists of aggregates, binders, and fillers. Aggregates are made up of various sizes of crushed stone, gravel, and sand. The binder is a petroleum-based material that holds together and coats aggregates. A filler is a fine powder that fills gaps between aggregates. The ratio varies according to the desired properties of the asphalt mix.
Gradation of aggregate and the quantity of liquid asphalt cement determine the strength of an asphalt mixture, as do air voids, which play a significant role in maintaining the stability of an asphalt pavement structure. Therefore, mix design must ensure these air voids exist in order to be successful, which in turn is determined by aggregate gradation and the cement content of an asphalt mix.
The asphalt industry is an integral component of the economy. Not only does it create jobs, but it also serves a critical function by improving transportation systems across the nation. According to estimates by the National Asphalt Pavement Association, paved surfaces from this industry provide over $30 billion worth of economic benefits annually.
It is a fuel
Asphalt is a petroleum product used for roofing and paving applications. The asphalt industry depends on government infrastructure spending trends to generate revenues, while profitability depends on price comparison of substitute products.
Fuel costs for asphalt production can be high and volatile, creating high energy costs and increasing risk. By adding a burner to the plant, redundancy and quality assurance are maintained even as oil prices fluctuate; plus, this investment reduces emissions and enhances the performance of your plant!
Some manufacturers use alternative fuel sources like natural gas instead of traditional liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) when heating asphalt, such as more eco-friendly LPG. Although natural gas provides more significant environmental advantages than LPG does, its heat transfer efficiency may require more maintenance.
Utilizing a second burner at an asphalt plant allows it to be dual-fuel capable, an essential feature in this industry that requires large quantities of fuel for its production process. Dual fuel also eliminates the need for costly diesel storage tanks that would otherwise need to be installed nearby.
In 2018, the asphalt industry recycled an impressive 82 million tons of RAP, or reclaimed asphalt pavement, representing roughly 21 percent of all newly installed asphalt in the US. Unfortunately, many state DOTs and federal highway administrations prohibit REOB by specifying or imposing physical tests that effectively prohibit its use.