Researchers in the UK said they have developed a "self-healing" road paving material that mends its own cracks without the need for maintenance.
The new material could offer a solution to the UK's pothole problem, according to Swansea University, which has spearheaded the research alongside colleagues at King's College London and the University of Biobio in Chile. The cost of pothole maintenance in England and Wales is estimated at £143.5mn/yr ($179mn/yr), according to the UK's Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA).
The self-healing asphalt contains natural spores of a chemically treated moss. When compressed, the spores release oils produced from recycled waste tyres, which fill in any damage sustained to the paving material. Laboratory trials have shown the material is able to heal a microcrack in its surface in less than an hour.
The material could reduce how often roads need repairs, cutting bitumen demand. But it is unlikely to be widely commercialised any time soon because it is has not yet undergone technical and environmental assessments and it remains unclear how production can be scaled up.
UK transport secretary Louise Haigh pledged in October last year to fix a "pothole plague" as part of government plans to repair up to 1mn more potholes a year.
Real-term cuts in local authority road maintenance budgets in England and Wales have led to a deterioration in road surfaces, according to the AIA's latest annual survey.
