Sustainable and cost-effective road maintenance solutions that reduce emissions and prolong road lifespans

Summary

Durophalt and Durophalt-E are environmentally sustainable and cost-effective road maintenance solutions that are designed to revolutionise the industry. These low-carbon, durable materials replace traditional asphalt repair processes, reducing emissions and prolonging road lifespans.

Developed by UK-based company CNRG, Durophalt and Durophalt-E offer at least a 75% cost reduction, 90% user disruption reduction, and up to 95% less carbon emissions when compared to traditional repair processes. Their key ingredient, Gilsonite, has a 40-year track record of significantly extending asphalt pavement life, with more than 2.5 billion square metres treated.  

The solutions have been proven to save up to 90% of the cost of asphalt ownership and can support system-level decisionmaking by providing data on performance, durability, and environmental benefits. This information can be used to assess the overall impact of road infrastructure projects, compare different materials and solutions, and make informed decisions for sustainable and cost-effective road development.

Need and use case for the technology

Asphalt is the largest human-made commodity on the planet, and despite 94% of asphalt material being made of aggregates with a life expectancy of hundreds of years, worldwide, roads are failing on average every 10 years.

Asphalt surfaces wear out quickly because of the short life of the 6% bitumen binder. In traditional road maintenance, the aggregates are simply thrown away, resulting in billions of tonnes of high-quality material (worth billions of dollars) being wasted.

Asphalt road surfaces are created using an oil product (bitumen), and whilst they have a significantly better cost / environment / functionality profile than any other current form of road surface, the traditional approach to their ownership – to replace and dispose of them when they wear out – is inefficient from a cost and environmental perspective. The only viable solution is to make asphalt surfaces last longer.

The Durophalt technology enables road surfaces to last for decades, and even when needing to be replaced, the old material can be 100% recycled. This provides a more economical and sustainable solution to governments and decisionmakers, and reprioritises roads against other transportation forms e.g. railway networks.

Overview of the technology

• Durophalt is designed for the harshest climatic conditions, highly trafficked environments, and applications and projects with limited site access time. This solvent-based solution provides maximum penetration and rapid cure, transforming conventional asphalt maintenance.
• Durophalt-E is a super-environmental emulsion, designed for warmer climates where temperatures remain high throughout the year.

Spray-applied, both products are rapid maintenance tools capable of treating 66,000 square metres (18 linear kilometres of road lane) in an eight-hour shift, with a cure time of 1-3 hours, minimising infrastructure downtime. With ‘day one’ skid resistance, fine surface grit quickly removes preservation material to restore pre-treatment skid resistance values.

With subsequent applications every 4-7 years depending on local climate, the solutions ensure ongoing pavement preservation. In an independent 2019 critical comparative analysis, Durophalt-treated samples retained 88% more aggregate than untreated samples after a simulated five-year weathering and wheel tracking cycle under the harshest simulated climatic conditions.

The solutions are easily replicable and can be spray applied to asphalt surfaces in various settings, including different terrains, urban and rural areas, and on different types of road infrastructure projects. Their flexible and adaptable nature combined with proven durability and environmental benefits make them suitable for a wide range of applications in the road construction industry, including high and low-speed roads, bridges, airport runways, docks, racetracks, car parks, cycleways, hospitals, schools, and more.

Overview of the company

CNRG Technologies Ltd (CNRG) is a UK-based developer and manufacturer of innovative, environmentally advanced chemical technologies for the road maintenance sector. Its solutions cover highway, off-highway, and civilian and military aviation sectors.

CNRG’s products are designed to deliver transformative efficiencies to the global road maintenance industry by virtually eliminating the environmental damage from current asphalt maintenance practices and delivering financial savings.

Over the next five years, CNRG aims to expand Durophalt’s adoption in both emerging and developed markets by establishing partnerships with local governments, construction companies, and other stakeholders. The company has partnerships in place in the UK and continental Europe and is actively seeking partners globally.

Transformative outcomes of the technology

Durophalt and Durophalt-E enable transformative outcomes in several ways:

• Circularity: By enabling aggregates to be re-used, the solutions reduce the need for new raw materials, divert waste from landfill, and contribute to a more sustainable road infrastructure lifecycle.
• Reduced carbon emissions in road construction: The solutions incorporate waste materials and offer a significantly longer lifespan before structures need to be recycled. This reduces energy consumption, transportation use and cost, and emissions associated with extraction and processing, while also decreasing maintenance and reconstruction activities. Application can deliver CO2 savings of up to 95% when compared with a traditional maintenance approach.
• Pollution reduction: By using waste materials, the solutions prevent pollution caused by improper disposal. Additionally, fewer maintenance and reconstruction activities result in less pollution from quarrying, fuel consumption, dust, and emissions.
• Inclusivity: The solutions are highly durable, ensuring reliable, congestion-free, and safe transportation for all. Their cost-effectiveness leads to more affordable road tariffs, promoting accessibility for vulnerable populations like the elderly, people with disabilities, and people living in remote areas.
• Affordability and accessibility: The solutions can deliver a 75% reduction in maintenance cost, 88% reduction in potholes, and 90% reductions in user disruption. Reduced maintenance and reconstruction costs lead to more cost-effective infrastructure investments, allowing for more affordable transportation options and freeing up public funds for other services.
• Disaster and climate adaptation: The solutions are resilient to environmental challenges, making them suitable for addressing disaster and climate adaptation in road infrastructure. Their enhanced durability reduces road damage and repair costs, contributing to sustainable and stable transportation networks in regions prone to climate-related challenges.

Example applications

The Durophalt technology has been applied to more than 2.5 billion square metres of asphalt around the world including in Germany, France, Italy, the UK, the US, India, China, and the Middle East.

In the case of the UK, Durophalt has been used consistently on a major motorway for more than 15 years to successfully extend the life of the surface.