Researchers from Swansea University, King’s College London, and Chile have developed a self-healing asphalt that mends microcracks in the roads as they form. The researchers claim that this could extend the lifetime of roads by up to 30%, saving millions of pounds nationally.
Potholes, formed from water seeping through and freezing in microcracks, are one of the country’s biggest road-related problems. According to the AA, a record £579 million was spent repairing vehicles damaged by potholes in the UK last year. The Asphalt Industry Alliance estimates that a total of £16 billion would be required to tackle the backlog of pothole repairs, ten times higher than the UK government has pledged.
However, with this new technology, these surface microcracks can heal in less than an hour in ideal conditions, potentially before water seeps through. Porous plant materials, known as spores, that are smaller than a strand of hair, are filled with recycled oils, which are released when the asphalt begins to crack. The release of the oil triggers a natural healing process mimicking healing properties observed in nature.
Plant spores will be made from sustainable materials, including biomass waste, which will reduce road carbon emissions as they are largely linked to asphalt production. The lead researcher, Dr Jose Norambuena-Contreras of Swansea University, has called upon both the UK Government and private sector to meet net-zero targets by investing in the initiative.
A large part of this research was made possible by artificial intelligence from Google Cloud. This enabled the researchers to simulate the behaviour of asphalt and develop a new data-driven model to advance the research in surface crack formation.