Bioasphalt Demonstration Attracts National Attention

The Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa (APAI), in conjunction with the City of Des Moines, Iowa Department of Transportation, Iowa State University, Avello/Bioenergy, Inc., Asphalt Materials and Pavements Program (AMPP), Bituminous Materials, Elder Corporation, and Grimes Asphalt & Paving Corp celebrated a first in asphalt paving on Wednessday, October 6th at the Waveland Trail paving project. The project was the first ever use of Bioasphalt in a hot-mix asphalt application. The City of Des Moines project substituted roughly 4% of the PG 58-28 binder with organically based Bioasphalt and paved roughly 800 feet of the trail with Congressman Leonard Boswell, representatives from Sen. Harkin's and Sen. Grassley's offices, national news media and over 80 attendees looking on.

Bioasphalt is an organically-based asphalt cement discovered by Dr. Chris Williams of Iowa State and derived through the process of fast pyrolysis, the flash burning of organic materials like corn stover, switch grass and forest products creating char (high grade fertilizer), gas (used to propel the process), and bio-oil. Three ISU students found a way to fractionalize the bio-oil into five fractions and Dr. Williams found that one of the fractions had similar properties to asphalt cement. The three students have formed the company Avello/Bioenergy, Inc., licened the Bioasphalt technology from ISU and trademarked the Bioasphalt name.

The project was very successful. The crews from Grimes Asphalt & Paving Corp did an excellent job in front of the excited crowd and even allowed Rep. Boswell to ride on the paver for a little while. Jeb Brewer, City Engineer for the City of Des Moines said, "We have a fairly active program for finding ways to conserve energy and be more sustainable," he said. "We're interested in seeing how this works out and whether it can be part of our toolbox to create more sustainable projects."

The Bioasphalt project has received national and international interest in the media, with requests coming from as far away as New Zealand for interviews with Dr. Williams. Iowa State's Williams said a successful demonstration would lead to more pavement tests containing higher and higher percentages of Bioasphalt."This demonstration project is a great opportunity," he said. "We're introducing a green technology into a green environment in Des Moines. And it's a technology that's been developed here in Iowa."

Bill Rosener, Executive Vice President of the Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa, said of the demonstration, "This was a historic event for the State of Iowa and the national asphalt industry. Bioasphalt will create a whole new cottage industry in Iowa using non-food biomass and the use of bioasphalt will help break the asphalt industry's dependence on petroleum-based asphalt cement. In the future, we will be making Iowa roads from Iowa grown products." 

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