A new asphalt mix that can clean up pollution from resurfacing and reduce the carbon footprint has been tried out by Redbridge Council.
The trailblazing test was found to reduce roadworks emissions by 68 per cent at work in Lodge Hill in Clayhall, the authority said.
Laying down the new carbon footprint-reducing asphalt (Image: Redbridge LB)
The council says it is the first local authority in London to use the "revolutionary" asphalt mix supplied by Tarmac.
“We are always striving to find ways to reduce emissions,” the council’s cabinet member for environment Jo Blackman explained.
“Now we are the first London borough in this pioneering trial to reduce emissions associated with resurfacing work.
“This trial is a step towards reducing our carbon footprint to become a cleaner and greener borough.”
The Tarmac asphalt was found to have lowered emissions from resurfacing roadworks by putting a carbon negative product into the mix.
The product is an aggregate known as ACLA, which acts as a permanent carbon storage for decarbonising the asphalt, effectively removing pollutant from the atmosphere.
The new aggregate reduced emissions by 68 per cent, which the council says is equal to a car driving 17,400 miles — or a round trip from Ilford to Los Angeles for two people.
It works by capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and permanently locking it into the resurfaced road.
Three layers of asphalt are applied, mixing the ACLA aggregate in the middle layer to make it ‘net zero’, which lowers the carbon footprint of the roadworks overall.
It was designed and manufactured by Low Carbon Materials, a tech company near Newcastle.
Natasha Boulding, the company’s chief executive, said: “This is a blueprint for reducing the environmental impact of road construction and maintenance. The trial is the first of its kind in London to see this aggregate used to create net zero asphalt.”
The breakthrough was first unveiled at the construction industry’s Highways UK show in Birmingham last year.
One construction company taking an interest was Redbridge Council’s contractor Kenson Highways, which used it in the trial resurfacing at Lodge Hill last month.
Kenson director David Shelley explained: “We looked into the product and quickly realised its potential for Redbridge.”
The company has been looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions, in collaboration with the local authority, in all current and future roadworks.
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