American Infrastructure

Head CEO’s: Tim Jennison Alex Mancino

Our JobOur job is to tell you why asphalt needs to keep being manufactured to make roads and highways.

We’re also here to tell the social, environmental, and economic benefits of using asphalt for making roads and highways.

Why???Why is Asphalt such an important by- product of Petroleum?

Because asphalt is used to make all roads and highways, which are the veins and arteries of countries.

Highways and roads: Decrease travel time, Increase trade, Make for quicker emergency service response, make cars more gas efficient and connects the entire country.

What is Asphalt?Asphalt is simply what is left over after crude petroleum is refined in a Distillation tower.

It is found as a black tar like substance (Not tar though, that’s a different substance) at the bottom of the Distillation Tower, it is 80% carbon.

Nothing else is done to the asphalt, it is scraped out of the bottom of the distillation tower, mixed with crushed granite and other minerals, heated, and then its ready to be laid down and paved.

Transportation Shipping by Barge: This is the cheapest and cleanest way to transport asphalt.

Transportation by Train: More expensive, but there are many terminals for drop off around the country.

Transportation by Truck: This is the most common way to transport but expensive because a truck can not move as much asphalt as a barge or train.

Research and Development

Asphalt has generally been developed and researched as much as it possibly could have been since it is so simple to make.

It can’t really be made any better, it has hit its peak of perfection

Bio asphalt is being researched but it will be much more expensive and complicated to produce on as large of a scale as present day asphalt

ManufacturingThis is how asphalt is produced

Large amounts of asphalt for highways only takes about 3 days to manufacture, the actual paving process a little longer.

Asphalt is relatively easy to manufacture

1.Asphalt starts out as crude oil that is refined in a Distillation tower.

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2.The crude oil is refined and the hydrocarbon mixture that falls to the very bottom is called asphalt.

3.The hydrocarbon mixture is heated until it is the consistency of tar.

4.The tar like asphalt is then mixed with sand, gravel and other minerals and is then ready to be put down for roads and highways.

Environmental Benefits

Asphalt is a waste product that is found in the distillation tower, so if it was not used for roads it would probably be disposed of into our environment and would definitely be a pollutant.

Asphalt from destroyed roads is always recycled and used for new roads.

Asphalt roads actually make cars more gas efficient, which helps us cut back on petroleum use.

AlternativesThere are very few alternatives to asphalt, besides concrete and dirt roads. Yet asphalt is used for a reason, since it is so much more efficient than these substitutes.

Asphalt is used because primarily it is cheaper than concrete. Asphalt is also more pliable, and can expand and contract in changing weather. Concrete, however, cannot expand or contract as well. Also Asphalt creates less noise than Concrete.

Other Uses of Asphalt

Roof Shingles

Airport Runways

Tennis Courts

Waterproofing tunnels

Why Asphalt Should Continue

to be Made1. First, asphalt made roads are the most efficient roads that can be made.

2. Asphalt roads are always recycled and reused for new roads, once they are destroyed.

3. Asphalt roads are the most used form of transportation on this planet.

4. Asphalt is relatively cheap, and easy to make roads with.

Continued…5. If the Asphalt in the bottom of the distillation tower is no longer used for roads, what happens to it? It will have to be disposed of which is a waste of a useful by- product. Also who knows how it will be disposed, it may be extremely harmful to the environment.

6. Lastly, as long as crude oil keeps being refined for whatever reasons, there is always going to be asphalt since it is only a residue. So why would we waste that when its going to be there anyways.

Works Citedhttp://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/asphalt-cement

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-is-asphalt-made.htm

http://www.buildingjournal.com/asphalt-driveway-estimating.html

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7747scit6.html

Gormins Brothers