This project will explore the potential of biochar for use as a climate-responsible, high-performance, pavement material.
According to Transport Emissions: Driving down car pollution in cities, transport contributes 17% of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in Western Australia (WA). While vehicle emissions are an obvious source of GHG emissions, the construction of transport infrastructure also contributes. New pavement materials offer the potential not only to improve pavement performance but to contribute to achieving WA’s aspirational target of net zero emissions by 2050, through reuse, carbon storage and reduced emissions.

Biochar is the product of pyrolysis, which is the process of heating biomass to a relative high temperature (500 °C, for example) without oxygen. It is a lightweight black solid that locks carbon in a chemically stable form and can endure in soil for thousands of years. It has a long history of being used to increase soil fertility and agricultural productivity but there has been a growing interest in its role in carbon capture and storage because of its stability.

Furthermore, recent literature suggests that biochar can improve asphalt’s performance against the effects of aging, deformation, and high temperature. To harness the carbon sequestration potentials, this research will investigate:

  1. the application of biochar as a filler material in asphalt pavements; and
  2. the combination of biochar and limestone dust to reduce or even replace the anti-stripping agent – hydrated lime (the production of which generates a large amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere).

Find more information on iMOVE website: Link