Asphalt is a truly useful and versatile material. Besides constructing roads, sidewalks and parking lots, asphalt can be utilized for roof shingles as well as waterproofing surfaces. It is the most recycled material on Earth.But what exactly is asphalt? Asphalt, also known as bitumen, is refined, solid-state petroleum that is made from distilling crude oil. It is composed of 5 major elements being carbon, hydrogen, sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen. It is valued for its binding capabilities, structural strength, and resistance to extreme temperatures.
In 2019, the United States produced 420 million tons of asphalt and housed more than 3,600 asphalt production sites. The lifecycle of asphalt is quite circular. Once asphalt reaches the end of its life, it is taken to recycling companies. From there, the companies perform extraction processes on the material, removing usable asphalt from the extraneous waste. The recovered materials are resold to trades for paving, shingling, waterproofing, and more.
Asphalt is a 100% renewable, construction resource. Recycling of the material does not only benefit the field of construction but people in general as well. Roughly 99% of all asphalt pavement is recovered every year, protecting people, property, and planet Earth. Recycled asphalt saves American taxpayers more than $1.8 billion dollars. The average shingled roof provides enough asphalt to pave 200 feet of a 2 lane highway.
It also stops 2.4 million metric tons of CO2e from entering the atmosphere, which is up to a 61% reduction of greenhouse gasses. Additionally, recycled asphalt prevents 11 tons of shingle waste from entering landfills. The U.S. dependence on foreign oil sources is also positively impacted as recycling asphalt reduces our reliance by up to 7.86 million barrels per day. Dependence costs hit up to $116 billion dollars in 2014.
The asphalt recovery market is a $7.1 billion dollar industry. There are more than 50 roofing recovery sites in more than 20 states. Vermont established the Vermont Act 175, which made shingle recycling mandatory. It is expected that more states will follow this lead. Asphalt demands in the U.S. are projected to rise 3% in the coming years.
Asphalt shingles are recycled through a 4 step proprietary extraction process. Bitumen is taken from the shingle using a specialized solvent. The post ground waste asphalt shingle (WAS) is ground into coarse chunks to remove nail debris. Then, shingle chunks are mixed with a solvent to create a fluid slurry that dissolves the bitumen. The solid waste then sinks to the bottom of the tank, while the bitumen and the rest of the solvent rise to the surface. The remaining solution is heated to separate all solvents from the oil, which allows the solvent to be saved and the oil to be cleanly packaged.
From roads to parking lots to sidewalks to airport runways to sport arenas, asphalt is all around us. Asphalt renewable capabilities will continue to impact the building sector as well as the planet as whole. Read in the infographic below to learn more about the interesting world of the asphalt economy and how sustainable it is.
