Rubber Road

Good News Good Planet

For more delicious news, go to www.GoodNewsGoodPlanet.com, and scroll to bottom for more ways to find the feel good stuff!* "WHERE THE RUBBER IS THE ROAD" We’ve all hit and cursed a pot-hole somewhere along our travels. Pot-holes are everywhere, and repairing them is costly and time consuming. The majority of road damage is caused by bad weather which weakens the surface and then, compounded by constant traffic, creates cracks, potholes, and other issues. But what if roads could repair themselves before becoming a hazard for vehicles? And what if they were economical and environmentally friendly as well? Mexican civil engineering student Israel Antonio Briseño Carmona, has created a self-healing pavement that works with the weather. His new invention called “Paflec", uses recycled tire rubber and other additives that are formed into a putty. When the mixture comes into contact with water it becomes malleable and expands and fills in any cracks, keeping the surface smooth and less likely to be damaged. The invention won him the James Dyson Award, an international award that challenges students to design something that solves a problem. Briseño's inspiration came from a simple question: Why do potholes appear every time it rains? He learned that when water filters down to the subbase of pavement, it creates a fault. And when cars pass over it, it collapses. Briseño’s genius was using the source material of the deterioration as the source material of the maintenance instead. The ‘Paflec’ rubber pavement could make roadworks cheaper and more sustainable, saving billions of dollars on infrastructure costs for governments and construction companies around the world including his home country of Mexico. It will also assist in repurposing the excessive amount of used tires around the world, which have few recycling options. While patented in 2018, more testing is ahead before it can be utilized on a large scale. But for the young student inventor, he’s already on the road to success. #### *Hungry for more of the Good Stuff? Search "Good News Good Planet" on YouTube, Instagram, Patreon, Alexa and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.