WPB: Roughly a year ago, Bill Gates visited the Seattle headquarters of Modern Hydrogen — an environmental tech venture he’s backed — and lent a hand in a demonstration, filling a test pothole with a new kind of asphalt. Despite some awkwardness handling construction tools, the billionaire philanthropist helped showcase a promising innovation: a road surface material infused with captured carbon.
This material, known as Modern Carbon, incorporates solid carbon derived from natural gas. The carbon is extracted and locked into the asphalt, forming a carbon-sequestering mixture that functions like traditional pavement. According to Michael Baba, the company’s senior product development manager, the test patch remains intact after a year of daily traffic. “It blends in seamlessly with the road — just what you want from a well-performing asphalt,” he noted.
Founded in 2015 with Gates’ support, Modern Hydrogen developed a unique process using a methane pyrolysis reactor. This device separates carbon from methane — sourced either from fossil fuels or renewable materials like manure — producing clean hydrogen gas that emits only water vapor. A byproduct of the process, the extracted solid carbon, can be directly used in asphalt, replacing petroleum-based bitumen. This shift results in lower greenhouse gas emissions, permanent carbon storage, and up to 20% cost reduction.
Given that asphalt covers about 90% of the world’s roads, and that bitumen is a major contributor to the sector’s carbon footprint, the implications are significant. Modern Hydrogen states that using Modern Carbon can cut material emissions by 20% and reduce overall lifecycle emissions of pavement by 11%.
The performance of this new asphalt — including its durability against rutting and cracking — has earned recognition from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and meets ASTM International standards.
Since Gates’ hands-on demo in early 2024, the material has transitioned from prototype to practice. In November, Bexar County, Texas, in coordination with Clark Construction, applied 100 tons of the product during road maintenance in San Antonio.
Aaron Martinez, a superintendent at Bexar County Public Works, expressed optimism: “We’re always exploring better materials. Carbon-sequestered asphalt is definitely part of our future.”
Modern Carbon has since been utilized in several U.S. states and Canadian provinces, including Alberta. In Long Island, Modern Hydrogen worked with National Grid to integrate the product during gas line replacements, reducing emissions in tandem with infrastructure upgrades.
Smaller community-based applications have also taken place. In Long Beach, California, the Family of Faith Christian Center repaired its parking lot using around 100 tons of the material. Likewise, in Snohomish, Washington, a one-mile residential road was resurfaced using Modern Carbon, showing its effectiveness for neighborhood-scale projects.
While Modern Carbon garners attention, broader industry trends in reducing asphalt’s environmental impact continue. Notably, the use of recycled asphalt in new road construction rose from 15.6% in 2009 to 22.2% in 2022, according to the National Asphalt Pavement Association.
These developments reflect the infrastructure sector’s growing commitment to sustainability and innovative materials.
By WPB
Asphalt, Bitumen, Road, Pavement
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