To strengthen environmental protection and improve economic efficiency, the City of Vancouver in Western Canada has partnered with GreenMantra, an Ontario-based environmental technology company, to develop a technology that uses recycled plastic bottles to extract waxy granules to prevent asphalt aging. It is estimated that approximately 400 kilograms of waste plastic raw materials can be converted into a large quantity of waxy granules, enough to pave at least four road sections, making it a crucial material for warm mix asphalt paving technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts indicate that warm-mix asphalt (WMA) is an energy-saving and environmentally friendly new material and technology for road construction. It offers benefits such as emission reduction, energy savings, easier mixing and compaction, and slower aging, and is becoming increasingly popular in North America.\n\nTraditionally, road paving used hot-mix asphalt (HMA), which requires heating the asphalt to around 150\u00b0C during construction. This process consumes a lot of energy and produces substantial odors and greenhouse gas emissions.\n\nCurrently, warm-mix asphalt costs about 3% more than traditional hot-mix asphalt. However, due to rising energy prices, its relative cost is expected to decrease in the future. As market demand grows, more environmental technology companies are likely to invest in production and research, which is expected to create local economic and employment opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Vancouver city government stated that in order to achieve the \u201cGreenest City 2020\u201d goal\u2014becoming the world\u2019s most environmentally friendly city by 2020\u2014it has developed a Green City Action Plan.\nFuture paving projects in Vancouver will gradually adopt the innovative warm-mix asphalt technology. This is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 400 tons annually. Not only will it lower environmental pollution and reduce health risks for construction workers, but it will also extend the lifespan of asphalt roads. Using recycled materials for road paving will undoubtedly contribute to the successful achievement of the city\u2019s environmental goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n