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Infusing asphalt with plastic could help roads last longer and resist cracking
- remslave 9mo agoSuperb way to generate more microplastics
- LarsAlereon 9mo agoThis is discussed in the article, the plastic is bound up in the bitumen so it doesn't release microplastic particles during use.
- cindyllm 9mo ago[dead]
- damnesian 9mo agoOK but can't we please try bioplastics for this?
- LarsAlereon 9mo agoThe point is to have a useful way of getting rid of all the plastic waste we already have and will continue to generate. Plastic isn't going anywhere in the near future because it's a byproduct of natural gas production, which is needed for energy.
- PaulHoule 9mo agoWell... It is more that a traditional oil refinery has a BTX section https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTX_(chemistry) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTX_(chemistry) which produces an excess of chemicals in the process of improving the octane of gasoline https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_reforming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_reforming and that is where you get monomers like styrene and Terephthalic acid. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene is another important petrochemical feedstock which can be made from natural gas or other forms of petroleum.