We at Autoblog are no strangers to crappy roads. Since we're in southern Michigan, potholes, cracks and other pavement imperfections are part of our daily lives. However, if a new company is successful, we may be calling roads crappy for very different reasons.
The National Science Foundation highlighted a project by professor Elli Fini and her team at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University to turn pig manure into asphalt. They discovered that pig excrement contains oils similar to petroleum, and although the oils couldn't be refined to make liquid fuels such as gasoline, they could be used in other areas, such as asphalt manufacturing.
Fini and her associates started Bio-Adhesive Alliance in response to promising results. They call their pig poop-based adhesive product PiGrid and, in addition to asphalt, list potential applications ranging from book binding to flooring.
But the asphalt application is what we, as car enthusiasts, are interested in. Among the advantages the company lists in its informational video are more affordable production, as well as improved cracking resistance. The video also explains that this process would also help manage the billions of gallons of pig waste generated each year, which can contribute to environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and algal blooms. If driving on pig dung means more affordable, more durable, and more environmentally friendly roads, then bring on the crappy roads.
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The National Science Foundation highlighted a project by professor Elli Fini and her team at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University to turn pig manure into asphalt. They discovered that pig excrement contains oils similar to petroleum, and although the oils couldn't be refined to make liquid fuels such as gasoline, they could be used in other areas, such as asphalt manufacturing.
Fini and her associates started Bio-Adhesive Alliance in response to promising results. They call their pig poop-based adhesive product PiGrid and, in addition to asphalt, list potential applications ranging from book binding to flooring.
But the asphalt application is what we, as car enthusiasts, are interested in. Among the advantages the company lists in its informational video are more affordable production, as well as improved cracking resistance. The video also explains that this process would also help manage the billions of gallons of pig waste generated each year, which can contribute to environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and algal blooms. If driving on pig dung means more affordable, more durable, and more environmentally friendly roads, then bring on the crappy roads.
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