Midnight snack yields idea for new asphalt binder

Inspired by a favorite midnight snack of crayfish, a professor and his students at Changsha University of Science and Technology in Hunan province developed a new "bio-asphalt" material, utilizing waste crayfish shell powder in the production of an environmentally sustainable high-performance asphalt binder.

One night in June last year, when Professor Lyu Songtao and his students in the school of traffic and transportation engineering went out for a midnight snack, Lyu noticed the waste of crayfish shell and asked a question: "Crayfish shells remain intact at temperatures above 200 C. Would they improve the high-temperature performance of asphalt?"

Lyu's students Xia Chengdong, Guo Yanpeng and Hu Long then undertook experiments to turn waste into wealth.

A large number of experiments and repeated tests found that adding crayfish shell powder to high-temperature asphalt could improve the "creep resistance" of the asphalt binder.

The new "bio-asphalt" can improve the properties of conventional road materials and reduce the pollution of bio-waste in the environment.

The students have applied patent for the new material. Their results were published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.