Concrete considered for Road Repair Contracts in Jamaica - Rubber Tyre Asphalt with Solar Roadways and Glass Tile Roads

A debate is now raging within the minds of many Jamaicans as it relates to the future Construction Material of our Roads, with Minister of Transport Works and Housing, Dr Omar Davies expressing a desire to include Concrete in the mix along with Asphalt for future Road Contracts as stated in “Concrete could be used on Roads”, published May 14 2014 by Latonya Linton, The Jamaica Information Service.

There’s a push by some Jamaicans fed up with the constant need to repair our Roads for a switch to using Cement rather than Asphalt as stated in “Carib Cement Rolls Out Road Plans-Says Cement Is Better Than Asphalt”, published 02-09-2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

CCCL (Carib Cement Company Limited) is also advocating a change to Concrete, pointing out that it’s longer lasting and better for vehicles in general. According to the article “Asphalt vs Concrete roads: Which is the best option for Jamaica?”, published Thursday, 5 June 2014, All About Jamaica Views, there are a few general facts about Concrete and Asphalt that the public needs to be aware of:

1.      15%-20% reduction in fuel consumption by Concrete roads

2.      50% more money is needed to build Concrete Road than an Asphalt road

3.      Asphalt has a lifespan of 15 years

4.      Asphalt roads are easier to maintain and repair and accessible within an hour after being repaired

5.      Asphalt Roads are susceptible to fluctuations in the price of Oil

6.      Concrete has a lifespan of 20 to 50 years

7.      Concrete Roads are difficult to maintain and hard to recycle unused Concrete

8.      Concrete Roads can be laid as slabs instead of being poured to harden, increasing deployment

9.      Concrete Roads require proper Drainage as Water isn't absorbed as with Asphalt making them very slippery

Asphalt from Rubber Tyres – New lease via SKD Haulage and Distribution Recycling Initiative

Asphalt may still be favoured by many, especially contractors who’ve been in the road repair game and have invested heavily in equiptment designed for Asphalt. For them, having to get equiptment to use concrete would be very difficult financially, especially given the fickle nature of Government Road contracts outside of an Election Period.

An even more compelling arguement for the continued use of Asphalt is  Discovery Bay, St Ann-based SKDP (SKD Haulage and Distribution) plan to invest some US$600,000 in a waste-to-profit initiative to begin this July 2014 to convert Rubber Tyres into Asphalt as described in “Old Tyres for road construction”, published Thursday, May 29, 2014 11:51 AM, The Jamaica Observer. 

According to the CEO of SKDP, Sherold Philibert, his company can convert 60% of the Rubber Tyres from the estimated 1 million discarded Tyres per year into Asphaltic Rubber, which can be mixed into regular Asphalt for the purpose of Road Construction and Repair. Whether or not it’ll be more economical than Asphalt remains to be seen, but it will at least solve the problem of the recycling of Rubber Tyre waste piling up in the Riverton City Dump, which poses the potential to cause more Fires as they did in on Sunday March 16^th 2014.

This machine works in a manner very similar to my idea of using Solar Powered Vacuum Pyrolysis to convert Tyres into Gasoline and Diesel Fuel as described in my blog article entitled “How to make Diesel and Gasoline from the Pyrolysis of Car Tyres and Plastics - Jamaican Riverton City Dump Fire Ecological Disaster solution that reduces Jamaica's Oil Bill”.

As with my idea, the Tyres would have to be masticated in order to be efficiently converted. CEO of SKDP, Sherold Philibert, made his plans known during a launch for his initiative in a presentation at UWI (University of the West Indies) on Wednesday May 28^th 2014. Already, he has the blessing of the following institutions and companies:

1.      Ministry of Industry, Investment, and Commerce

2.      Local Tyre dealers

3.      NSWMA (National Solid Waste Management Agency)

4.      JAMPRO (Jamaica Promotions)

I suspect the CEO of SKDP Sherold Philibert, stuck to the making Asphalt instead of hinting at the production of Diesel and Gasoline, also by-products of Vacuum Pyrolysis, as he didn't want to upset the Gasoline Retailers and Petrojam with any intentions to make illegal Gasoline or Diesel. 

Minister of Industry, Investment, and Commerce, Anthony Hylton, who was present during the launch, seemed to support the project on the basis that it would create jobs and reduce future incidence of Fires at the Riverton City Dump, quote: “The raw materials are found right here in Jamaica, in very large quantities. This will open up opportunities for many other players in the industry. In addition to the absorption of used Tyres, it will decrease the Government’s costs associated with solid waste disposal, and reduce the number of new landfills required to store used Tyres”.

But the secret is out as it relates to making diesel and Gasoline from the Vacuum Pyrolysis of the Rubber Tyres as thoroughly described in my blog article entitled “How to make Diesel and Gasoline from the Pyrolysis of Car Tyres and Plastics - Jamaican Riverton City Dump Fire Ecological Disaster solution that reduces Jamaica's Oil Bill”.

SKDP, despite their noble intentions, will find it very hard to secure Rubber Tyres cheaply in light of the fact that Gasoline is now closing in rapidly on JA$200 per liter, making any alternatives to Gasoline or Diesel viable and thus persons less likely to return Tyres knowing that they can make fuel from Tyres.

Asphalt appears to be a Winner – Solar Roadways a Global Dark horse in the Year of the Sheep

Thus far, Asphalt appears to be winning this road Building, Design and Repair Contract War in the near and distant future. The longevity of Concrete benefits the Government and the people who depend on Roads for Transportation in terms of their being less repair needed and the longevity of their usefulness, but it also means fewer contracts for maintenance, something Road Repair Contractors might not like.

I see a slow adoption path for Roads made from Concrete, albeit Concrete will get extensive use in building sidewalks and Parking Lots, should the Ministry of Transport Works and Housing start leaning in that direction. As for Rubber Tyre Asphalt, it’ll gain Government Support.

But if fuel alternatives to the rising costs of Gasoline and Diesel Fuel aren’t found, then expect to see other competitors use Rubber for Tyres, Plastic and even Organic Material in Vacuum Pyrolysis Furnaces to make illegal Diesel or Gasoline as that would have an immediate market and be more useful.

As for me personally, I’m leaning more towards the idea of using Molten Glass to make Roads, which the French currently use in some of their Roadways. This as the very same Fresnel Lens can be made into a massive array and use to melt Sand be it black or white as well as broken Glass to make molten, pourable Silica Glass into Tiles. 

This can then be tempered via adding certain additives and made into a Tessellation of Tiles in a manner similar to interlocking slabs of Concrete and thus used on not only Roadways but also on Driveways, Parking Lots, Play Areas as well as Roofing Tiles similar to the Brusaw’s Solar Roadways as described in my blog article entitled “The Brusaw's Solar Roadways score US$1 million on IndieGogo and US$750,000 from US FHA - Powering Roadways one Parking Lot at a Time”.

Best of all, due to the fact that Silica Glass is as strong as Concrete but can be heated and made molten via the process as show in the video above, recycling Broken Silica Glass Tiles used for roadways would make it the ideal material for roadways.

What do you think dear reader?