Climate change is causing a pothole plague. Are robots and self-healing pavement the solution?
Washington-based climate tech startup Modern Hydrogen, which has attracted seed funding from the likes of Bill Gates, has focused its efforts on this novel approach, which creates a longer-lasting form of asphalt.
The clean-tech company's primary line of business is pulling solid carbon from natural gas to create clean hydrogen. But as part of that process, solid carbon is created, which as it turns out, can serve as a key material in creating asphalt that holds up better in the face of climate change.
"Our material makes asphalt stronger and more durable," Modern Hydrogen CEO Tony Pan tells the BBC. "We increase stiffness by 34%. That means the roads are stronger, more durable and asphalt is able to withstand higher temperatures."
The strengthened roads are just one of the benefits of Modern Hydrogen's innovation, which is currently in use in five US states and Canada.
Traditional asphalt is made of dirt, pebbles, stone and sand. But the most expensive part of the asphalt is the material used to bind it, which is traditionally bitumen. And bitumen is made from oil, Pan explains.
