Science is Fun Fridays!

  These are biobased spores, made of plants and filled with recycled oils that could be used for self-healing roads. 

Experiments have shown that when asphalt cracks, this material can help reverse the process.

Bitumen is the mixture of hydrocarbons obtained as a residue of petroleum distillation that is used for road surfacing.  By eliminating a need to maintain this over and over again, we'd not only see reduced environmental impact but also reduced cost and less travel disruption.

Dr. Jose Norambuena-Contreras of Swansea University is a leading expert in self-healing asphalt.

"This multidisciplinary research integrates Material Science, Civil Engineering, and Chemical Engineering."

He won the RILEM Robert L'Hermite Medal in 2024 for "exceptional scientific contribution to the field of construction materials and structure."  This is awarded to researchers under 40 by the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems, and Structures.