Green Asphalt and Concrete: Eco Friendly Streets
By Nick August 14, 2008
There have been several developments as of late relating to the greening of the world’s streets and highways with either asphalt and concrete. Lots of forgotten energy and materials goes into our roads and highways, which are just a bridge for more pollution, making recent developments with greener, more environmentally friendly asphalt and concrete more exciting.
Air Pollution Free in Hengelo -Dutch Concrete paving stones
The recent green developments started in the Netherlands when the Dutch’s University of Twente developed a green concrete paving stone that converted the smog, acid rain causing nitrogen oxide into a nitrate, 
which is not harmful for the environment in small quantities. Unfortunately, we use nitrates all the time in fertilizer, so it could potentially be toxic to humans or animals. The Dutch will be testing it with a grant in Hengelo and scientists will be evaluating it for widespread use.
Air Pollution Reducing Asphalt in Madrid
Engadget reports that Madrid has a similar plan in place with new asphalt that comparable to the Dutch’s concrete paving stones. Madrid’s asphalt, too, can convert nitrogen oxide from exhausts into less harmful oxides which can just be washed away with rainfall. This asphalt is suppose to be able to get rid of 90% of the nitrogen oxides in the air on a sunny day since it relies on sunlight to work at capacity. Ironic that global warming induced radiation is helpful in combating air pollution. But this is a great development and has a lot of potential.
Laying Cool Green Asphalt is Cool
Earlier this year, the Matter Network discusses how laying asphalt while it is cool instead of hot can save 7 times as much energy during the process. With thousands of miles of US roads getting paved each year, that is some serious energy savings. The problem lies in the fact that US engineers, unlike those overseas, are only familiar with heated laying techniques and measures to predict how well a road will perform. With no cool laying guidelines, it’s not realistic for cool laying techniques to be used, yet. So after some control tests headed by University of Wisconsin civil engineering professor Bahia, cool asphalt may become cooler in the civil engineering world thus allowing us to green our roads and environments.
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[...] at ecofuss has piqued my interest in air pollution and hot mix asphalt. According to the article “Green Asphalt and Concrete: Eco Friendly Streets”, Earlier this year, the Matter Network discusses how laying asphalt while it is cool instead of hot [...]
While these events are positive and a step in the right direction they omit some important facts that decision makers should know to make informed decisions on selected products that enhance the triple bottom line. Fact: Concrete paving absorbs less heat than dark colored asphalt pavements thus benefiting both the urban heat island effect as well as smog, global warming and energy and CO2 used to cool adjacent buildings. Fact: Because light colored concrete reflects light better, less lighting is needed to attain the same level of light with asphalt. This means less electricity and greenhouse gas over the life of the parking lot. Fact: Concrete pavements last longer with lower total ownership costs. Fact: the water quality of runoff from concrete is both cooler (less impact on aquatic life) and because it is not based on petroleum products it does not introduce PAH’s into the water as asphalt and asphalt sealers do. The choice is crystal clear. Cool pavements of concrete are the clear cut winner in a discussion about sustainable paving methods.
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