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Road Makers Turn To Recycled Plastic For Tougher Surfaces (economist.com)
Recycled plastic is already used to make some products, such as guttering and sewage pipes. Now attention is turning to roads. From a report: On September 11th in Zwolle, a town in the Netherlands, a 30-metre bicycle track made from 70% recycled plastic and the rest from polypropylene was opened [Warning: the link may be paywalled; alternative source]. It will be used to test a product called PlasticRoad, which is being developed by two Dutch firms -- KWS, a road builder, and Wavin, a firm that makes plastic piping -- in partnership with Total, a French oil-and-gas firm. PlasticRoad is prefabricated in a factory as modular sections. The sections are then transported to the site and laid end to end on a suitable foundation, such as sand. Because these sections are hollow, internal channels can be incorporated into them for drainage, along with conduits for services such as gas and electricity. For the Zwolle project, sections that were 2.4 metres long and 3 metres wide were used. These were fitted with sensors to measure things such as temperature, flexing and the flow of water through the drainage channels. A second pilot cycleway is being built in the nearby town of Giethoorn.
If all goes well, the inventors hope to develop the idea and make the sections entirely from recycled plastic. Paths, car parks and railway platforms could follow. Eventually, sections for use as actual roads are planned. These could contain sensors for traffic monitoring. In time, the circuits in the plastic roads might extend to assisting autonomous vehicles and recharging electric cars wirelessly. Prefabricated plastic roads should last two-to-three times longer than conventional roads and cost less, the companies claim, mainly because construction times would be reduced by almost two-thirds. Anti-slip surfaces could be incorporated, too, including crushed stones which are traditionally used to dress road surfaces. The sections, when replaced, can also be recycled. But engineers will be watching to see how the track stands up to wear and tear and if the hollow structure causes resonance, which would make such a road unduly noisy.
If all goes well, the inventors hope to develop the idea and make the sections entirely from recycled plastic. Paths, car parks and railway platforms could follow. Eventually, sections for use as actual roads are planned. These could contain sensors for traffic monitoring. In time, the circuits in the plastic roads might extend to assisting autonomous vehicles and recharging electric cars wirelessly. Prefabricated plastic roads should last two-to-three times longer than conventional roads and cost less, the companies claim, mainly because construction times would be reduced by almost two-thirds. Anti-slip surfaces could be incorporated, too, including crushed stones which are traditionally used to dress road surfaces. The sections, when replaced, can also be recycled. But engineers will be watching to see how the track stands up to wear and tear and if the hollow structure causes resonance, which would make such a road unduly noisy.
This will DEFINITELY help with the 'mcroplastics in the foodchain' problem.
For those who can't see past the paywall, there are some pretty good images of the road sections here.
Check your premises.
Um, no. Just no.
You're talking about non-paved surfaces. This is about paved surfaces.
On paved surfaces, the data says that adding rubber/plastic recycled materials improves durability. Overweight trucks and plenty of them, will still erode them. High traffic volume, wide ambient environment, poor road beds, all will do their share to screw up paved surfaces. Bikes, by their nature, do not present the weight and lateral surface impact that heavy trucks present.
---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
First they get their data from the exact same spot. If the road stands up to normal use, doesn't wreck bicycle tires, doesn't turn incredibly slippery in rain or snow, isn't riddled with holes after a few frost / thaw cycles, doesn't kill a kitten an hour with microplastics produced by wear and tear... then it's time to build a longer stretch and see if the economics also work out.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
Recycling is the worst option of all.
1: Reduce
2: Reuse
3: Recycle
Recycling is not reusing. Recycling takes tons of energy to recover material from something and repurpose it. It often creates an inferior product.
Still, no.
You're concerned over 200lbs distributed over two tires. I'm talking 80,000 pounds distributed over 18 wheels, sometimes more and less.
I, too, don't want to see plastics in the oceans. Roads aren't paved in the oceans. It's true that particles are leached into aquifers. We don't have good data on how much, what kind, deterioration, and more. If you were looking to stanch plastic pollution, talk to your local grocer, and encourage products made from paper, or better still, re-usable packaging that requires little cleaning before re-use.
More effective plastic stanching is possible. It's because plastics compressed as described are so strong, that they'll last much longer as paving products, although all the data isn't in yet.
There are experimental paving stretches across the US. Some involve plastics, tires, stone mill grinds, and many more. Let's see what works best before condemning them. I want to stanch plastics pollution as much as possible. First things first, please.
---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.