Self-Healing Roads Could End the Plague of Potholes



Potholes are a $26.5 billion problem plaguing America’s roads and leaving behind many frustrated motorists. Now engineers believe “self-healing” roads may be the solution. Research suggests that asphalt roads could be made far more durable by adding a new ingredient: recycled cooking oil. Potholes typically appear when water penetrates cracks in the asphalt over the winter. When the water freezes, it expands, making the cracks larger and forming fresh ones. When the broken-up material is washed away, a pothole is left behind. The new formula would add micro-capsules of recycled oil to the asphalt. When micro-cracks begin to appear inside the asphalt and cracks appear, the recycled oil would be released to fill the them, preventing oxidation that would normally cause the asphalt to become brittle, crack, and ultimately form a pothole. Laboratory experiments have shown that the oil completely heals micro-cracks in less than an hour. It’s estimated that using this formula could prolong the lifespan of roads by 30%.