Sustainability continues to be a growing trend in construction, with contractors and property owners looking for ways to integrate efficiencies that don’t break the bank. Asphalt is a common alternative to concrete in many commercial and home real estate projects. It’s more affordable, but that’s just one of the reasons it remains a popular material in building.
Asphalt is also a sustainable choice, and here are five environmental benefits of using it in your next construction project.
1. Recycle, Reduce, and Reuse
Asphalt can be recycled once it reaches the end of its lifespan and reused for new projects. Contractors dig up old asphalt and bring it to be milled and crushed. Once it’s in small enough pieces, it can be reused in the next asphalt paving project. This process can go on indefinitely as asphalt does not lose its integrity or strength during recycling.
As a result, pavers don’t have to purchase as many resources. They can reuse existing materials, which cuts down costs. Additionally, when asphalt is recycled instead of discarded, it reduces landfill waste.
2. Durability
Asphalt is a highly durable material that can last up to 30 years with proper care and maintenance. It’s made of a blend of materials, including bitumen, gravel, sand, and crushed stone. When these materials are processed, they become strong and flexible. Asphalt can withstand thousands of pounds without cracking, which is why it’s used on streets and roads.
Asphalt resists temperature changes, expanding and contracting without breaking during extreme highs and lows. It’s also water resistant, so it’s less likely to show wear and tear from water, rain, ice, and snow.
Asphalt must be resealed every three to five years to prolong its lifespan and fill any cracks and gaps. Regularly resealing your asphalt will prevent you from replacing it, which is more cost-effective and sustainable for the owner.
3. Reduced Carbon Footprint
The National Asphalt Pavement Association is working on reducing asphalt production’s carbon footprint throughout its entire lifecycle. They hope to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and have already made progress toward their goal.
Focus initiatives include integrating more recycled materials during manufacturing. When you don’t have to mill and refine raw materials from scratch, you use less energy. Additionally, asphalt that uses warm-mix technologies and cold-central plant recycling technologies also produces less energy, which can lower greenhouse emissions.
The reduced-mix production temperatures combined with utilizing materials that remove carbon dioxide from the air can significantly reduce asphalt’s carbon footprint in the long-term. These efforts are being rolled out across the industry and are expected to make asphalt an even more sustainable building and paving choice.
4. Driving Energy Efficiencies
Asphalt traditionally absorbs heat, making the ground warmer. It can also heat the groundwater and increase the temperature of water bodies. However, recent advancements in cool pavement technologies have changed that. They’ve been integrated into asphalt mixtures to help the ground reflect more sunlight rather than retain it.
According to the United States Environmental Production Agency, this leads to cooler surfaces and reduces many urban heat islands. The ground temperature also contributes to the air temperature, and when the ground is cooler, so is the temperature. This can reduce the need for air conditioning.
As a result, energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions will decrease, which can significantly impact the climate of large metropolitan areas. Using asphalt is a great way to drive meaningful energy efficiencies that will have real-time results on your wallet.
5. Noise Reduction
Asphalt significantly reduces street noise, which is why it’s a common choice for many roads and parking lots. There are different types of asphalt, and which you use can significantly impact the amount of noise asphalt can reduce.
For example, rubberized asphalt uses recycled tires as one of its main components. Rubber can help absorb the noise rather than allowing it to reverberate off it. Additionally, porous asphalt has voids on its surface that trap the sound.
With these advances in noise reduction on the pavement, you won’t have to invest in other materials to help make it quieter, including constructing concrete noise barriers, which can be expensive.
Wrapping Up – Why An Asphalt Investment is Worth It
If you’re not a contractor or home design connoisseur, it can be challenging to know where to start when picking materials for your home.
An asphalt paving contractor can explain your options and help you choose the right paving solutions for your commercial and personal building needs.
Asphalt can fit any budget and is more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly than other paving solutions. When it reaches the end of its lifespan, it can be recycled into a new product instead of trashed.
Asphalt can be a strong sustainable choice for your building needs, and with a lifespan of up to 30 years, it can be the only solution you need.
