What is old asphalt?
Asphalt is a very important ingredient in the making of roads. It is widely used in most pavement projects in the United States. It is durable and withstands adverse weather conditions and that is why it is mostly used in most highways and high traffic areas. Asphalt is used daily by high traffic including heavyweight vehicles. So, what happens to old asphalt? After service life, asphalt will start to wear and it begins to break and therefore it has to be removed to avoid damaging vehicles and aircraft.
Removing old asphalt is very important because it will give room for new asphalt to be constructed. You can check with local asphalt companies who are interested in recycling. Roughly 100 million tons of asphalt is reclaimed every year in the US. Therefore, it is profitable to reuse old asphalt.
What happens to old asphalt?
Although asphalt is durable it will wear and tear after service life and it becomes old asphalt. This old asphalt is very important and it can be reused or recycled. Asphalt pavement is the most recycled material in the construction industry according to the National Asphalt Pavement Authority. Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement is booming in the market at the end of asphalt’s service life it can be reclaimed. 2.2 miles of roads in America and over 93% is paved with asphalt and that is why it is important to recycle or reuse old asphalt.
Construction authorities have put in place rules that old asphalt should be recycled or reused because it is eco-friendly and affordable. The amount of asphalt reused in 2011 was 66.7 million tons and in 2012 it was 68.3 million tons. New liquid asphalt is very expensive compared to used asphalt which is cheap and therefore for you to save on cost you must reuse old asphalt. There has been an increased amount of old asphalt allowed to be reused in new roads from the States DOTs regulations. Old asphalt costs 10 times less than new asphalt.
Old asphalt is very important because it can be used as aggregate with new asphalt and it forms a strong binding agent. This will make the heavy traffic and busy airports to be stronger and therefore last for a longer period. Recycling old asphalt will save money that could have been used to purchase new asphalt and use it to repair other highways, playgrounds, or pavement. Hence there will be a decrease in manufacturing costs, cost of acquiring new asphalt, and save taxpayers money.
Also, reusing old asphalt will reduce the demand for new asphalt; improve asphalt stickiness, decreased the likelihood of cracking, and decreased susceptibility of rutting. Old asphalt also has high moisture content which makes it durable in harsh weather conditions especially during winter.
Our opinion of old asphalt
Despite the durability of asphalt, after the end of service life, it should be reused or recycled. Old asphalt cannot be discarded because it is very important and should be reused. Old asphalt has become gold and it is widely reused in America because it is durable and makes a strong binding agent with new asphalt. In addition, it is eco-friendly and the government is encouraging the reusing of old asphalt as it saves taxpayers money and is used for other projects. If you cannot recycle old asphalt then you can dispose of it in a landfill although it takes a large space it is recommended to recycle as much as possible.
