Asphalt is a frequently used material for roads and pavements, along with concrete. Many people consider it the most sustainable paving option available in the market. Innovation over the years has enabled blacktop to be recycled and reused repeatedly without notable degradation to its quality. Here’s what you should know about it.

Why Use Recycled Asphalt?

When workers remove old and damaged asphalt, most of it doesn’t end up in landfills. It is recycled through reprocessing and later used as an overlay to other road surfaces. There are several reasons to use reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), but it’s primarily to save the environment. Rather than leave countless tons of pavement to waste, most of it is given another life as new pavements.

Using RAP contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, which are the primary downsides of producing new asphalt. It also does away with the harming of the environment since it doesn’t need natural resources for raw materials.

Apart from being sustainable and eco-friendly, RAP is less expensive to use as well. It brings significant cost savings without sacrificing durability and quality. To put this into perspective, U.S. taxpayers saved more than $2.2 billion in 2017 by adding RAP as an aggregate in asphalt mixtures for roads and highways. Depending on the quality and mixture ratio, pavements made with RAP perform better than those with 100% virgin mixes. 

How It Works

Most recyclers have machines that reprocess the materials. They equip them with a crusher and screener used for breaking down chunks of removed asphalt into smaller bits. To further reduce more substantial pieces, they are run through the crusher repeatedly. The aggregates then mix in a recycler with water and additives. The method of hot recycling involves tumbling and heating the mixture for 20 minutes before it’s ready for use. On the other hand, cold recycling doesn’t use heat. Apart from the reclaimed material, the adhesive or cement that binds aggregates is reusable for its original purpose.

Learn more about recycling asphalt from your property by working with the experts at Professional Asphalt Services in Minneapolis, MN. For over 25 years, they’ve provided quality paving services, such as asphalt repair, seal coating, crack filling, and pavement installation to clients throughout the Twin Cities area. Call (612) 636-8888 to request an estimate or view their full list of services online.