Asphalt
Land transport can only work efficiently with well-built, asphal ted roads. Asphalt comes from the Greek word “asphaltos” meaning something that lasts. And this dark-colored mixture of binder and aggregates has in deed been in use for thousands of years. Weapons and tools were already being made from asphalt in ancient times. The material was also used as a seal- ant, as well as for medicinal purposes and for embalming the dead. Today’s asphalt usually contains bitumen obtained from the refining of crude oil as a binder. However, researchers are also working on how to replace fossil fuel bitumen with a bio- based binder in road construction. This would allow the mainly emission-free traffic in tomor row’s world to drive on roads that don’t harm the climate either.
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