Asphalt innovation answers the clean construction call
In an era where the call for sustainable infrastructure materials is louder than ever, Modern Hydrogen, headquartered in the Seattle area, is leading the change with its innovative carbon sequestration asphalt technology. By transforming carbon derived from biogas and natural gas into public roads, this trailblazing initiative has recently secured commitments from one of the largest counties in the USA, marking a significant milestone for eco-friendly construction and emissions reduction.
Asphalt Innovation: Case Study
Road Recyclers, a key player in high-quality asphalt product manufacturing in Texas and New Mexico, is set to be the first to incorporate carbon stripped from natural gas in public roads. Shane McDade, the CEO of Road Recyclers, shared his enthusiasm for this collaboration and its potential impact on the Southwest US in a recent interview with a Forbes reporter.
“Together, Modern’s carbon capture material and Road Recyclers’ existing line of asphalt products and technologies have the potential to produce something pretty rare, and that’s a road material that is not only environmentally sound, but also of a higher quality and more cost-effective than regular asphalt products,” McDade said in the Forbes story. “We do a lot of testing on all our products before we take them to market, and we’ve done a lot of successful testing on the products we are making with Modern. The next step will be field trials with partner public agencies, like counties and departments of transportation.”
Celebrity Attention in Asphalt Innovation
This innovative repurposing of carbon has caught the attention of notable figures like Theo Von, a renowned TV and TikTok star, podcaster, and comedian, who commended the effort in the same Forbes story saying, “Repurposing something that contributes to holes in our atmosphere to fill the holes in our streets. That’s impressive to me!”
Asphalt Innovation in Canada
Modern Hydrogen’s Modern Asphalt products have already seen successful deployments in private lots and driveways across Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Florida, and most recently, in Alberta, Canada, marking the company’s first international project. This deployment, along with other decarbonization-focused policies, underscores Alberta’s potential to spearhead the formation of a carbon capture and sequestration ecosystem, thereby creating new market opportunities for the products of the future.
Watch this video of the first pothole being filled in Canada with carbon sequestered in the asphalt.
Edmonton Global and the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) have expressed their enthusiasm and support for Modern Hydrogen’s initiative. Matthew Klippenstein, Regional Director for Western Canada for CHFCA, acknowledged the potential of pyrolysis in producing clean hydrogen from natural gas with a solid carbon byproduct instead of carbon dioxide, stating, “CHFCA is enthusiastic about the ability of pyrolysis to produce clean hydrogen from natural gas with a solid carbon byproduct (carbon black) instead of carbon dioxide. We congratulate Modern Hydrogen on this recent milestone.”
Edmonton Global, a foreign direct investment (FDI) and international business development agency, expressed enthusiasm over Modern Hydrogen’s initiative. Malcolm Bruce, CEO of Edmonton Global, lauded Modern Hydrogen’s alignment with emission reduction goals, stating, “With our existing infrastructure and decades of experience in energy, the Edmonton region is the best place in the world to invest in carbon capture and hydrogen. Modern Hydrogen’s carbon capture technology being used in projects here is another step toward meeting our emissions reduction goals, and we look forward to seeing the impact it will have on our region’s innovative clean-tech ecosystem.”
As Modern Hydrogen gears up for the first deployments of Modern Asphalt on public roads in Texas, the journey towards carbon-neutral road materials and sustainable paving materials has just begun with this asphalt innovation.
This is the first installment of the Making Inroads newsletter by Modern Hydrogen. This newsletter will contain details about milestone updates, technological explanations, collaboration opportunities, and emissions reduction techniques. Want to co-author an article with us or submit a topic for consideration? Message us!