In the United Kingdom, researchers at Aston University have developed a pyrolysis process to convert materials such as decomposed food, paper, and plastic into fluid similar to bitumen.
Bitumen is used to produce asphalt and is extracted from crude oil. Asphalt production is a major contributor to road constructions’ carbon footprint.
“If the product is largely produced and widely applied, we would have a better way to convert our waste, including non-biodegradable plastic waste, into a high-value construction material, instead of current disposal practices such as landfill and incineration – both of which are harmful to the environment,” Yang Yang, study author and researcher at Aston University’s European Bioenergy Research Institute tells Planning & Building Control Today.