Clinton County Road Project Uses Soybean Oil-Based Enhancement To Extend Asphalt Life Cycle

By Michelle Jokisch Polo

Officials in Clinton County are part of a project aimed at extending the life cycle of roads. The process involves placing a soybean oil-based asphalt enhancement on top of a recently paved road to prevent the asphalt from expanding and breaking down.

Colony road in Clinton County is one of the first roads in Michigan and the second one in the county to receive the treatment.

“It keeps water out of it. So, water does carry the salt bringing it down into the depths of it. So, if we stop the moisture from entering, we are going to keep it from the asphalt as well,” he added.

According to Clinton County Road Commission Director of Engineering Marc Trotter, the project is an innovative way to partner with local farmers.

“It's a great preventative maintenance treatment, we put a lot of money into our roadways, the brand-new pavement and this is a great way to partner with our local community products that are actually coming from Clinton County,” he said.

Luke Meyer, an employee with Roadway Bioseal, helped apply the product to the one mile stretch of Colony Road.

“As asphalt oxidizes and ages, it becomes brittle, loses those light ends that keep it flexible. So we're introducing a agricultural soybean-based oil to the asphalt that will help it last longer in turn and support the local farmer,” Meyer said.

Soybean oil-based products have also been shown to be an eco-friendly alternative in road upkeep because they're biodegradable and don’t contaminate water.

Michigan Soybean Committee Chair Laurie Isley said this project is an opportunity for the state to begin exploring ways to replace petroleum-based products with sustainable ones.

“Soybeans are extremely versatile. Certainly the majority of our soybeans go into livestock feed and animal uses there. But more and more we're determining what the options are for using soybean oil in alternative uses. And Biorestor is just one of the ones that we see as a success story,” she said.

Clinton County Road Commission officials plan to continue monitoring the road closely on the ways it withstands the elements.