Civil engineers from Aston University are helping to make road surfaces more sustainable

Experts from Aston University are working with road surface specialist Miles Macadam. The project aims to find a more sustainable alternative to traditional fly ash. The two organizations have entered into a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP), a collaboration between a company, an academic partner and a highly qualified researcher.

Civil engineering experts from Aston University are working with construction and paving company Miles Macadam to make the road surface more sustainable.

The university has entered into a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) with the Cheshire-based company, which produces and installs ‘grouted macadam’, an asphalt and cement-based material for road and industrial paving.

A KTP is a three-way collaboration between a company, an academic partner and a highly qualified researcher, also called a KTP associate. The UK program helps businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity through better use of knowledge, technology and skills.

Aston University is a leading provider of knowledge transfer partnerships, with 80% of completed projects rated very good or excellent by Innovate UK, the national body.

The grouts Miles Macadam uses in their surface products contain fly ash, a waste product from coal-fired power stations, which now must be imported. As a result, the quality of this fly ash varies and the supply can be erratic. Miles Macadam is working with the university to find a more sustainable alternative.

Andrew Scorer, co-director of Miles Macadam Ltd, said: “This is the first KTP we have been involved with and we are very excited about it, as are many of our customers who are very keen to see us develop more sustainably. Products. Aston University clearly has the expertise we need to assess the different ingredients for our grouts and we look forward to working with the team on this.”

The project investigates the use of biochar, a carbon-rich material produced by processing organic material such as wood or agricultural waste at very high temperatures. Using waste materials would also preserve new resources and reduce costs and dependence on imported materials.

The team will produce and test hardened grouts for water absorption and strength, including whether the materials can withstand heavy weights. They will use Aston University’s specialist environmental testing facility to see how the materials respond to prolonged freeze-thaw cycles, simulating the weather conditions they may be subject to in use. Once the best candidate materials have been identified, they will be tested in real-world conditions at a Miles Macadam site.

The company has chosen to work with Aston University because it has the research expertise to characterize alternatives to fly ash and assess how they impact performance, both in the processing of the product and its final properties.

Dr. Moura Mehravar is the lead supervisor and principal investigator of the project. She said: “This project ambitiously aims to replace traditional cementitious materials with biochar, significantly reducing CO2 emissions. My role consists of steering the project towards sustainable and practical results, mentoring the staff involved and ensuring a productive exchange of knowledge between academia and industry.

“This commitment highlights our commitment to sustainable construction practices and places us at the forefront of efforts to reduce environmental impact within the construction industry. With this project we want to discover innovative solutions that contribute to a greener future while increasing our understanding and use of alternative building materials.”

The lead academic is Professor Mujib Rahman, a chartered engineer with more than twenty years of experience in the field, five of which are in industry. He heads the Department of Civil Engineering at Aston University and has extensive research expertise in the fundamental characterization of asphalt and concrete materials.

He said: “This project brings together different expertise from across the University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to help Miles Macadam future-proof their products and reduce their own and their customers’ carbon emissions. It will be fascinating to look in depth at the properties of biochar and see not only how it can work for Miles Macadam’s specific needs, but also how it can be used in many other situations. There is enormous potential in this sustainable product.”

The third member of the research team is Dr. Jaiwei Wang, head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry.

Together with KTP Associate Payam Sadrolodabaee, they will conduct laboratory tests to see how well the alternative materials mix with the asphalt and concrete mortars.

The project will last 30 months and will run until July 2026.

KTPs
This project is co-funded by the British innovation agency Innovate UK.

Watch our short film to see how it works and visit our website for examples of KTP in action at Aston.

For more information on how your business can benefit from working with Aston University, please email [email protected]