STTR Phase II: Waste Cooking Oil and Fly Ash Based Bioasphalt

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project proposes to develop a high performance, environmentally benign, and low cost renewable bioasphalt from recycled agricultural byproduct. The availability issue of petroleum based asphalt, along with the high cost of petroleum and the fuel price to transport the asphalt from a centralized refinery plant to distribution sites, has increased the price of asphalt substantially. The use of the petroleum asphalt also generates hydrocarbon fumes, which irritate workers and create a nuisance for the surrounding community. Because of concerns over dependence on foreign oil, a high asphalt price and unstable supply, and air emissions, non-petroleum based bioasphalt made from renewable sources needs to be studied and developed. In this Phase II research, the bioasphalt production technology developed in Phase I will be scaled up to produce samples for evaluation in the field. The commercial viability of this technology will be demonstrated. The broader impacts of this research are the use of a renewable and agricultural based product to reduce the use of petroleum asphalt, eliminate the odor and emissions associated with traditional petroleum asphalt, and improve the product performance.