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Polymer & Asphalt Modification with Recycled Plastics
Advanced Asphalt Solutions
Dow’s asphalt technologies improve road durability and sustainability. Our polymer-modified and recycled plastic offerings enhance resilience, reduce maintenance, and support circular economy goals. Designed for diverse climates and heavy traffic, Dow’s products help infrastructure last longer while helping enable more sustainable paving for a more reliable future.
High-Performance Asphalt
Dow’s asphalt technologies improve durability and extend pavement life. Polymer and recycled plastic offerings resist cracking and support sustainable, high-performance roads for varied traffic and climates.
Innovative Asphalt Solutions
Dow offers a range of asphalt binder modification offerings to address modern infrastructure demands. From polymer-modified asphalt to enabled polymer blends designed for recyclability, our technologies improve road durability, flexibility, and resistance to cracking. Designed for diverse climates and heavy traffic, these options enhance performance while supporting sustainability and longer-lasting pavement life.
Award-Winning ELVALOY™ RET Copolymer
Discover Dow’s award-winning ELVALOY™ RET Polymers, engineered to enhance asphalt binder modification. These innovative asphalt binder additives improve flexibility, resistance to rutting and cracking, and extended pavement life–offering high-performance roads with proven results.
Asphalt Innovation in Action
Dow’s asphalt binder modification technologies are being applied in real-world projects worldwide, demonstrating enhanced road durability, flexibility, and sustainability. From highways to urban streets, our polymer and recycled polymer options help extend pavement life, reduce maintenance, and offer reliable performance in diverse climates and traffic conditions.
Case Studies
Can plastic debris help pave the way to a more sustainable future?
Dow is turning plastic waste into durable, recycled plastic asphalt roads. In Depok, Indonesia, 3.5 metric tons of plastic waste were used to pave a 1.8km road, enhancing durability and reducing emissions. This initiative support circular economy goals and demonstrates the potential of recycling in infrastructure.
Meijer collaborates with Dow to recycle plastic bags into parking-lot pavement
Meijer and Dow transformed 12,500 lbs of customer-donated plastic bags into a durable parking lot at Meijer’s Holland, MI supercenter. This pilot utilized Dow’s ELVALOY™ RET technology, demonstrating a sustainable circular economy solution in action.
Assessment of microplastics production from waste plastics-modified asphalt pavement
A recent study evaluated microplastic generation from waste plastics-modified asphalt. Findings indicate that non-aged asphalt with added plastics released microplastics during wear tests, highlighting the need for further research on environmental impacts and mitigation strategies.
Enhancing Asphalt Durability
Dow’s guide outlines asphalt modification strategies to improve pavement performance, focusing on reducing cracking, enhancing fatigue resistance, and increasing durability. By incorporating advanced asphalt additives like ELVALOY™ RET, roads can better withstand environmental stresses and extend service life.
RPMA Pilot Projects
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Project | Surface(s) Paved | Waste Plastic Diverted | Additional Comments |
Freeport, Texas, USA | ~ 2,600 ft2 (0.79 km) | 1,686 lbs. (764.8 kg); equivalent to the weight of 120,000 plastic grocery bags | Two roads at Dow Texas Operations; collaboration with Martin Asphalt, American Materials, and Vernor |
Midland County, Michigan, USA | 136,390 ft2 (15,154 yds2 or 12,671 m2) | 10,400 lbs. (4717.4 kg); equivalent to the weight of 769,500 plastic grocery bags | Four county roads and two parking lots at Dow Headquarters; collaboration with Winpak, Central Asphalt and K-Tech Specialty Coatings |
Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, Michigan, USA | 60,000 ft2 (5,574 m2) | 1600lbs (725.7kg): equivalent to the weight of 120,958 plastic grocery bags | Large SVSU event parking lot; collaboration with K-Tech Specialty Coatings and Pyramid Paving |
Orange, Texas, USA | 3,480 yd2 (2,909.7 m2) | 1,830 lbs. (830.1 kg); equivalent to the weight of 135,000 plastic grocery bags | Two roads at Dow Sabine River Operations; |
151,039.17 yd2 (414,330.642 m2)
| 12,478 lbs. (5,659 kg); equivalent to the weight of 944,169 single-use bags | Three-phase paving at Midwest grocery store chain Meijer and gas station parking lots with PADNOS, K-Tech Specialty Coatings and Rieth-Riley | |
University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA | Three .5 mile field test sections | 24,000 lbs. (11,000kg); equivalent to the weight of 1,850,000 single use bags | Three field test sections using different PCR levels in the dry process and ELVALOY™ RET as polymer modifiers. Collaboration project with University of Missouri and State DOT. |
National Center for Asphalt Technology, Auburn, Alabama, USA | 200 ft test section | 1000 lbs. | Additive Group study funded by the Federal Highway Administration and five state DOTs |
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Project | Surface(s) Paved | Waste Plastic Diverted | Additional Comments |
Bulgaria | ~ 0.62 miles (1 km) | 4,409 lbs. (2,000 kg) | Municipal road |
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Project | Surface(s) Paved | Waste Plastic Diverted | Additional Comments |
India (two cities) | 40.4 miles | 286,601 lbs. (130,000 kg) | Collaboration with KK Plastic Waste Management, Rudra Environmental Solutions, and local governments in the cities of Bangalore and Pune |
Indonesia (several cities) | 1.24 miles (2 km) | 6,614 lbs. (3,000 kg) | Collaboration with INAPLAS and ADUPI (Plastic Waste Management Association) |
Manila, Philippines | 16,145 ft2 (1,500 m2) | 1,984 lbs. (900 kg); equivalent to >180,000 sachets and plastic bags | Collaboration with San Miguel |
Thailand | ~53,819.6 ft2 (5,000 m2) | 6,614 lbs. (3,000 kg) | Seven parking lots and one road; collaborations with Siam Cement, Amata Industrial Estate, SC Asset, and CP All |
Haiphong, Vietnam | 0.87 miles | 14,330 lbs. (6,500 kg); equivalent to 1.7 million flexible wrappers | Collaborations with Deep C and Vietnam Maritime University |
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Project | Surface(s) Paved | Waste Plastic Diverted | Additional Comments |
Guanajuato, Mexico | 2.49 miles (4 km) of road | 4,409 lbs. (2,000 kg) | Collaboration with Surfax and Constructora Vise |
Estado de México, Mexico | 0.62 miles (1 km) of road | 1,102 lbs. (500 kg) | Collaboration with Surfax and Polyrafia for a private internal road at Polyrafia's site |
Guajira, Colombia | 0.81 miles (1.3 km) of road | 2,205 lbs. (1,000 kg) | Collaboration with Surfax, Ecopetrol, Essentia and Constructora El Condor |
Frequently Asked Questions
Polymer Modified Asphalt (PMA) is conventional asphalt blended with polymers to enhance performance. The polymers improve flexibility, strength, and resistance to rutting and cracking. This makes PMA a good choice for heavy traffic areas and diverse climates, extending pavement life and reducing maintenance needs.
Adding recycled plastic to asphalt increases durability by enhancing resistance to cracking, rutting, and moisture damage. The polymers create a stronger, more flexible pavement structure that performs better under traffic and environmental stresses, while also diverting plastic waste from landfills.
Modified asphalt offers superior performance compared to conventional asphalt. Polymer modified asphalt extends pavement life, reduces maintenance costs, and improves resistance to extreme temperatures and heavy loads. It also supports sustainable construction when recycled polymers are incorporated.
Recycled Polymer Modified Asphalt (RPMA) can generally be installed using conventional paving equipment and methods. Contractors may need minor adjustments in handling and temperature control, but the overall installation process is similar to standard asphalt paving.
Modified asphalt supports sustainable paving solutions by extending pavement life, reducing resource use, and lowering maintenance needs. When recycled plastics are added to asphalt, it diverts waste from landfills, supports circular economy goals, and reduces environmental impact in road construction.
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