Ilaria Rosella Pagliaro Self-healing asphalt, developed with artificial intelligence and biomass, could eliminate potholes in the UK and improve road sustainability
A game-changing innovation would fix the United Kingdom’s perpetual pothole problem, with huge potential benefits for cities in the United States, whose deteriorating roads are a leading infrastructure concern. Scientists have developed self-healing asphalt, which heals cracks on its own without human help or costly repairs.
This groundbreaking technology was developed using Google Cloud’s artificial intelligence and consists of environmentally friendly materials harvested from biomass waste. Researchers at Swansea University, King’s College London, and Chilean universities have discovered new means of “sewing” asphalt back together, which will make it more durable and reduce expensive repairs.
Bitumen or asphalt is a petroleum-based, thick, black substance that is most often used in airport runways, highways, and roadways. Over time, it oxidizes, which causes it to become brittle, hard, and crack.
To turn this issue around, scientists have developed an advanced method that allows asphalt to heal itself, significantly extending road infrastructure life and reducing maintenance costs. In an interview, Professor Joe Norambuena-Contreras from Swansea University, an expert in self-healing asphalt, discussed how this technology can also be used to help produce carbon-neutral roads because most road pollution results from asphalt production.
Norambuena-Contreras has appealed to the UK government and the private sector to fund this technology in order to make sustainability goals achievable and reduce the environmental footprint of road infrastructure.
More sustainable roads thanks to new materials
The initiative does not just mend roads, but there is hope for greener asphalt. Professor Francisco Martin-Martinez of King’s College London added that the research seeks to copy self-repairing mechanisms that take place naturally:
“Creating self-healing asphalt will extend the life of infrastructure and reduce the number of pothole repairs.”
Martin-Martinez pointed out that the new material will incorporate biomass waste, lowering reliance on natural resources and making the road sector more sustainable.
Although the research is still in progress, the team is sure that this innovation will have a global impact, improving infrastructure while promoting the transition to a more sustainable economy.
Source: Swansea University
