Uberbinder — a promising new solution for lowering CO2 in asphalt paving

BATT Lab is working with the developers of a new and promising binder that could prove to be a breakthrough in performance while significantly lowering the greenhouse gas emissions associated with asphalt paving.

Founded by Jett Yang and Jonathan Davis, Uberbinder is a novel low-carbon asphalt binder made from industrial and agricultural by-products and waste that is a highly stable and scalable material. This new advanced material has the potential to shift the industry away from bitumen and hot mix paving by providing pavers the ability to bypass heating and hauling and move to cold placement instead.

Jonathan and Jett, along with myself and Zack McKay, BATT Lab Operations Manager, debuted Uberbinder at the International Road Federation’s 18th World Meeting in Dubai in 2021 to a curious and receptive audience. BATT has been subjecting Uberbinder to a series of indicative mix performance and index tests to investigate the products’ binding potential with virgin materials as well as recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), including a 100% RAP cold mix.

After examining the fundamentals of how Uberbinder bonds, as well as noticeable improvements in cracking and rutting resistance, BATT testing found Uberbinder works extremely well as an asphalt replacement binder and has great potential to help the asphalt industry build sustainable, flexible pavements while lowering CO2. Previous tests have also shown the binder’s ability to bind a wide range of aggregates and unprocessed waste materials which can extend the ability to reduce CO2 emissions. The next step: scalability.

The difference in Uberbinder is its use of modified sulfur binder, which is a breakthrough polymer that’s safe to use, unlike raw sulfur that can become hazardous when misused. Since sulfur is the fifth most plentiful element on earth in mass and a plentiful by-product from many manufacturing processes, it can provide an unending supply source.

Cold mix is the ultimate win if the industry is going to achieve its goal of Zero Net Carbon by 2050. Cold mix can have a major impact in lowering CO2 in road construction because you don’t have to heat the mix. Uberbinder can be heated safely, but the goal is to use it at ambient temperatures, making cold-central-plant or cold-in-place recycling an even bigger win.

Helping clients with product development and market readiness is one of many services provided by BATT Lab. For more information, contact us via the Get In Touch button at the bottom of this page.