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CONSTRUCTION & W
CONSTRUCTION & WATERPROOFING CHEMICALSATERPROOFING CHEMICALS

advanced resin technology that has been used for several promotes a safer and more comfortable driving experience for
prestigious projects across globe. It is economical, fast, easy to everyone. By incorporating a proactive approach, the damage
apply, seamless, durable, and its unlimited overcoat time reduces from freeze-thaw cycles, water, heavy traffic and solar rays can
wastage and ensures longevity of the structure. be mitigated before more extensive work or repairs are needed.
Drythane is a 100% Solids, two component polyurethane coating From filling small cracks and voids to completing thin lift overlays,
system that contains no volatile organic compounds (VOC) or BASF offers polymer solutions for all types of asphalt maintenance.
solvents. It has been specifically formulated as a seamless and Two of the most common preservation techniques are chip seals
tough waterproofing membrane. It comprises of the PIV Primer and micro-surfacing. “Chip seals used to be widely seen as a
along with a choice between (or combination of) three liquid- method used on low volume roads, but the quality of chip seals
applied fused layers — Drythane Standard, Plus, and Aliphatic. has improved enough over time to be used on higher volume
It is a 100% solids damp tolerant, two-component polyurethane roads,” says Kadrmas. “Chip seals not only help to seal the road
primer with excellent adhesion to damp and dry concrete. It and keep the environment away from the pavement underneath,
penetrates and reinforces concrete surfaces, seals to prevent but they also provide a safe and skid-resistant driving surface for
out-gassing and pin-holing, and also reacts with moisture present the public because of the aggregates used on the road.”
in the concrete. In a similar vein, micro-surfacing is a treatment that combines
As a partial by-product of the crude oil refinery process, the price polymer-modified emulsified asphalt, mineral aggregate, mineral
of asphalt is directly correlated to oil prices. Over the last 10 years, filler, water and other additives that are mixed and spread with a
asphalt rose an average of 0.7% for every 1% increase in the machine over the road surface. “Micro-surfacing also helps to seal
price of crude oil. Rising oil prices can impact transportation and the road from the environment,” says Kadrmas. “Its application
asphalt installation expenses for paving projects, further adding looks very similar to a hot mix, and it can be used to fill in any ruts
to the cost. that might be in the pavement from wheel paths. It also helps to
“Sometimes there’s a shift in asphalt prices that goes beyond the level and improve the smoothness of the road, and the aggregate
price of oil because some refineries don’t make asphalt. Instead, provides skid resistance.”
they will use the bottoms of the refinery for petroleum coke or Another benefit of micro-surfacing comes in the form of how
other products rather than make asphalt,” says Arlis Kadrmas, it “breaks” or hardens: while chip sealing relies partially on the
Senior Technical Specialist, BASF. Rising prices is only one evaporation of the water in the asphalt emulsion, the asphalt
reason to keep pavement in good shape. Effective pavement emulsion used in micro-surfacing contains additives that allow
preservation means fewer repairs down the road, ultimately saving it to break without relying on the sun or heat for evaporation to
on maintenance costs in the long run. More importantly, it also occur. This means road work can be done overnight, reducing

88 CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES|FEBRUARY 2023