Minnesota’s Paving Companies are Getting Creative to Support the Environment

To make Minnesota’s roads, driveways and parking lots more environmentally-friendly, paving companies across the state are incorporating greener materials into their asphalt mixes.

Minneapolis, United States – April 15, 2017 /PressCable/ —

MINNEAPOLIS, April 13, 2017 – To make Minnesota’s roads, driveways and parking lots more environmentally-friendly, paving companies across the state are incorporating greener materials into their asphalt mixes.

In 1993, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) produced a report to Congress that established asphalt pavement as the most recycled product in America. In years since, the asphalt pavement industry has continued to employ creative strategies and better technology to make their products more sustainable.

For example, when a driveway or parking lot is removed, the dig out material, consisting of rock base, asphalt and concrete, is loaded into dump trucks and brought to a crushing plant who in turn recycle it into base material. Dirt dig out for new asphalt areas or additions, is hauled separately, and then screened, cleaned and reused.

Companies like Alpine Asphalt in Minneapolis are paving the way to greener pavement in Minnesota. They’ve incorporated techniques like purchasing recycled class #5 materials instead of limestone for base installations.

“Not only does recycling help ensure a bright future for our planet, it helps keep our expenses down since it is more cost effective for our suppliers to recycle materials than to mine new rock,” said Brian Reid, owner of Alpine Asphalt.

Hot Mix: Managing Emissions

Hot mix asphalt (HMA) is a mixture of approximately 95 percent stone, sand or gravel, bound together by asphalt cement, a product of crude oil. Containing 10 percent of recycled material, HMA is a popular form of asphalt throughout the U.S.

Asphalt mixing facilities are taking steps to limit their effect on the environment. Well-regulated by federal and state environmental agencies, these facilities are cutting emissions that come from the combustion of fuel which is used to keep the temperature of the asphalt hot.

To support this, asphalt plants are keeping their energy use to a minimum when producing hot mix asphalt by using lower temperatures than in the past. There is also a movement toward using warm mix asphalt, although it’s not yet in widespread use.

Other tactics come from the asphalt companies themselves. Alpine Asphalt, for example, won’t allow their trucks to idle unnecessarily on site. They also group jobs by location to reduce fuel consumption, as well as wear and tear of equipment. Even little steps like proper tire pressure can add to increased efficiency and an overall greener environment.

“We support our industry’s trend toward lower energy use,” said Reid, “It’s the right way to do business.”

For more information about Alpine Asphalt, visit www.alpineasphalt.com or call (612) 706-8018.

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Contact Info:
Name: Dawn Reid
Email: office@alpineasphalt.com
Organization: Alpine Asphalt
Address: 1822 Monroe Street Northeast, Minneapolis, MN 55418, United States
Phone: +1-612-706-8018

For more information, please visit http://alpineasphalt.com/

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 186628