Anicet Mbida 06:52, February 23, 2023

Anicet Mbida delivers to us every morning what is best in terms of innovation.

This Thursday, he is interested in an invention that could enhance the safety of motorists and bikers.

It's a new asphalt created by researchers at Hebei University in China that is said to make roads naturally antifreeze.

The innovation of the day could be useful with the drop in temperatures and the return of bad weather.

We managed to create naturally antifreeze roads.


What does it mean ?

That snow and ice will melt automatically?

Exactly !

You can imagine the interest in safety: no more slips, no more stuck cars, no more need to tear your hair out to put on chains or socks.

The road will react exactly as if it were permanently salty.

Its secret comes from a new asphalt created by researchers from Hebei University in China.

Inside, they slipped microbeads of a special mixture that will prevent ice from forming and lower the temperature at which water will freeze.

You know it: on the road, the water freezes at 0°.

When it is salty, it is a little less: -1 or -2°.

But with this new mixture, we will not see the slightest ice crystal before -7°.

So that leaves a lot of room in most French regions.

Has it been tested in real conditions?

Yes.

This is also how they determined the limit.

In their study, they took pictures at -6°.

They are impressive: we see one side of the road full of snow, on classic asphalt.

And the other completely cleared of snow, thanks to the new asphalt.

Obviously, if it's really very cold, the flakes will eventually hold.

But at least it saves time before sending the snow removal equipment.

Finally, it will be kinder to infrastructure and the environment.

You should know that salt accelerates corrosion, it attacks the underbody of cars and causes the concrete to swell.

Worse: beyond a certain dose, it pollutes waterways and becomes toxic to plants and animals.

This is why, almost everywhere in the world, we try to replace it with non-polluting snow removers… or we simply force people to drive with nails or chains.

This road will have to be maintained.

How long does it retain its snow removal power?

According to tests: for eight years.

And that without any maintenance.

So even if it is not eternal, resurfacing every eight years will still be cheaper than building heated roads, as some regularly claim.