Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008 - (Page 15)

asphalts which are easier and cheaper to manufacture.” Growing market share With better mix designs and new processes coming on line, Carlson said that the use of rubber in asphalt is becoming increasing popular because the materials tend to last longer and have cost advantages initially and throughout the life of the project. Its production also helps the environment by using a waste product. With 300 million scrap tires generated each year, there is ample product to go into asphalt mixes. Most are used for fuel. Right now about 20 million tires are used in asphalt each year. “In general the market will be looking up and up. I would expect a jump from the standard 10-percent growth that we’ve experienced in the last five years. We should approach a 15-percent growth rate in the next few years,” he said. According to Williams, like anything today that is “green” or “recycled,” industry needs to get on board to make it a success. “There is a need for innovators who will make the product and for agencies, developers, and public/private partnerships to be willing to try the product,” she said. SLDT Photos courtesy of the City of Chicago and the National Asphalt Pavement Association. About the author: Frank Hill is a freelance writer and contributor to Sustainable Land Development Today. “Rubber right now is pretty cheap, about 12 to 17 cents a pound where asphalt is going for about 25 cents a pound,” he said. “I think in this market today, the actual raw materials costs are less than a neat asphalt, when you look at a ton-for-ton comparison.” As for performance, he said that there are some mixes that were placed in the 1990s that are still performing extremely well, predominantly through resistance to cracking due to the effect of the rubber particles. Meanwhile, recent successes with the terminal blends, such as the one used in the Chicago Green Alley program, have drawn others to the market. They promote the same benefits and properties but they are not sustained through the life of the pavement. “Not all rubber-modified asphalts are the same. Those that have a dissolved rubber component are completely different from those that have a rubber particles left in the binder when it goes into the mix,” Carlson warned. “Dissolved rubber tends to under perform in various tests compared to other polymer Circle 156 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard www.SLDTonline.com 15 http://invisiblestructures.com http://invisiblestructures.com http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard http://www.SLDTonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008

Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008 Contents Our Voice Editorial Board SLDT Resources Where Rubber Meets the Road Integrated Planning: The Key To Developing Sustainable Planned Communities Win-Win For College and Community Industry Spotlight: Transoft Unique Organization, Unique Opportunity New Preferred Provider Comments from the Austin Conference Welcome New Members New Knowledge Project Articles Books Going Green Business Management Risk Management Surveying and Mapping Industry News Products/Services Showcase Advertiser Index Classifieds The Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008

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