Five Reasons Asphalt is an Eco-Friendly Paving Choice
If you are committed to supporting sustainability and environmentally conscious paving methods, choose asphalt! Asphalt's life cycle, from production to installation, lowers environmental impact — and that's a good thing, especially for your company's reputation. Our experts on sealcoating in San Antonio, TX, offer these reasons asphalt is an eco-friendly choice for paving.
Energy conservation
On average, asphalt demands about 20% less energy during production and building than other kinds of pavement. Additionally, asphalt is smooth and pliable, reducing vehicle tires' resistance and improving fuel efficiency. Lower consumption indicates fewer emissions and less effect on the environment.
Along with the lower energy consumption required to install asphalt, older asphalt pavement can be reused or reclaimed up to 99% of the time; this equals about 100 million tons of asphalt created annually and 95 million tons reclaimed during the same period. In addition, other materials are routinely recycled into asphalt paving, with some of the most common being rubber from old tires, glass, and asphalt roof shingles.
Super sustainability
Deemed a perpetual pavement, well-designed and established asphalt doesn't usually need to be entirely replaced and shouldn't wear out. However, when damages or deterioration occur, maintenance includes just removing and substituting the top layer, and that material is recycled or reused. This makes asphalt a genuinely sustainable construction method.
Older, impaired concrete pavement can be extracted to make way for a new asphalt pavement through rubblization. The concrete is cracked to create a textured base that can maintain a more sustainable asphalt surface, making perpetual pavement out of something that previously required more energy consumption for building and repair.
Improved water quality
In nature, moisture that falls on soil filters through the earth and into water sources like lakes, creeks, ponds, and subsurface aquifers. Other constructed surfaces, like concrete, can seal the rain from the ground and generate runoff which contributes to flooding. Pollutants can accumulate in this runoff and leach into waterways, donating to pollution.
Water quality advantages of asphalt include:
- Water preservation
- More reasonable use of land
- Decreased runoff
- More suitable infiltration
- More sanitary stormwater
- Restocked aquifers
- Safeguarded streams
Did you know that asphalt is employed to construct liners and caps for dumps because the impermeable material can deliver an effective barrier to potential leaks? Even drinking water reservoirs are frequently lined with asphalt, and asphalt cement is utilized to line water pipes that supply drinkable water to humans.
Cleaner air and municipalities
Darker asphalt pavement absorbs warmth in larger municipalities with taller buildings, reducing the overall temperature and urban island heat development, whereas lighter pavement reflects onto the buildings. In addition, asphalt can quickly be installed, decreasing bottlenecking and idle time along with automobile emissions.
Asphalt plants have been reducing greenhouse gases while improving production. Due to this, the Environmental Protection Agency classifies these plants as only insignificant sources of industrial pollution — a significant win for the atmosphere and the air we breathe.
Less impactful care
Because of the long life of asphalt pavement, you will need fewer tools and vehicles to repair it, and it should not need to be entirely replaced. This means heavy trucks won't clog roads or parking lots around your business, harming air quality.
Well-maintained and smooth asphalt pavement delivers safer and quieter riding surfaces over its lifespan, resulting in higher vehicle fuel efficiencies, decreased crash rates, and diminished noise effects on surrounding neighborhoods, contributing to their overall sustainability.
These are just some reasons why asphalt is an eco-friendly paving choice. Contact us today if you need sealcoating in San Antonio, TX. We are here for you!