MIT: Sugar made of stiffer materials will save gasoline, limiting CO2 emissions

A study by scientists from the Institute of Massachusetts pointed out, if the surface of the road is made of durable materials and harder, it can save considerable fuel and reduce emissions of CO ₂ .

Everyone knows that walking on soft sand is often harder than walking on a hard road. It is also the thinking of US MIT scientists when asking the question, whether the road surface becomes firmer, heavy trucks will move more easily, conveniently and consume less fuel. ?

The road surface is made of stronger and stiffer material that will help reduce CO ₂ emissions .

According to Newatlas , the pavement we are traveling on or the freeway may be hard. But it is nothing to be piggybacked on a vehicle weighing a ton. On the other hand, the weight of an overweight car can cause the asphalt surface to sink slightly while the vehicle rolls over.

As a result, the truck will continue to be in a state of maximum capacity to try to escape the subsidence road. In other words, the engine needs to work more and of course increase the fuel consumption.

According to scientists Hessam Azarijafari, Jeremy Gregory and Randolph Kirchain from MIT, the problem of fuel consumption for large vehicles when traveling on roads can be solved if the road aggregates use this type of material. harder construction materials.

Most of the roads today are made from traditional asphalt, including small amounts of synthetic fibers or relatively inexpensive carbon nanotubes. An alternative is to use a larger aggregate when mixing asphalt and a finished product made of more rock and less binder.

Harder roads will require less repair and replacement.

This approach is definitely much more economical and cost effective if you have to take the long way. However, if the road surface was made of concrete instead of asphalt, things could be very different. Of course the initial construction cost will be more expensive but its life expectancy will certainly be more sustainable, and the depreciation cost will decrease over time.

Based on the calculations of scientists, if 10% of the hard road surface in the United States within 50 years more to come, we can prevent emissions of CO ₂ up to 440 megatons. Although this figure only accounts for 0.5% of total CO ₂ emissions from transport activities, this is still a very significant number.

In addition, the researchers also believe that "stiffer" roads are less likely to require repair and replacement over time, although the initial investment costs can be enormous.

The research was recently published in the journal Transportation Research Record.