Kazakh scientists come up with nanotechnology for road construction
New technologies of road construction! Domestic scientists have developed special nanopowders that will be added to bitumen. This innovative method will not only change the physical properties of the road and improve its quality, but will also save money on the pavement, inventors said. After all, it will be a 100 percent Kazakh product made from crushed stone, sand and mineral mixtures, in other words, from local raw materials. In fact, the nanopowder itself, which will become a secret component of bitumen, is also extracted from the solid fuel of local deposits. It is crushed using a three-stage technology.
“In the first stage, we grind the powder in a mechanical mill, then we do it again using the aerodynamic method, and in the third stage, we use the electromagnetic field method. Then we add the crushed nanopowder to the bitumen. Actually, we conducted a large-scale experiment. We added from 0.5 percent to 2 percent of the powder to the bitumen, depending on the weight. By adding 0.5 percent, we got the usual result. And by adding 2 percent, the result was very high. This is how we made the first domestic nanobitumen in Kazakhstan,” said Bagdat Teltayev, President of Kazakhstan Highway Research Institute.
The new type has a huge advantage over the conventional bitumen. It is resistant to variable weather in Kazakhstan, it’s not afraid of heat or frost. In addition, stronger and denser asphalt pavement absorbs less moisture. This will reduce cracks in winter and rutting in summer. The shelflife of the road will also increase. Scientists are now focusing on the development of special facilities for large-scale production.
“In this direction, we are preparing proposals for two inventions with the aim of further improvement of the technology for producing nanopowders. We have already ordered one mechanical mill. And we are currently developing another advanced type of electromagnetic installation,” Teltayev added.
The invention will be tested in practice. First of all, new surfaces will be installed on road sections in Nur-Sultan and Almaty. The results will be reviewed annually. The inventors believe that the nanobitumen will successfully pass the test. And it is likely that soon new road construction standards will be introduced across the country.
Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
