2 min of reading

0 comments

How Asphalt Is Made

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 12/05/2025 at 21:09

Updated on 12/05/2025 at 21:16

Construction

Foto: Reprodução

Be the first to react!

Discover How Asphalt Used for Streets and Highways in Brazil Is Made and Understand the Difference Between Hot and Cold Types

Asphalt is present everywhere, on avenues and highways, but few know how asphalt is made.

According to the CNT Highway Research 2024, Brazil has a road network of approximately 1.7 million kilometers, of which only 12.4% are paved, which corresponds to about 213.5 thousand kilometers.

This means that about 87.6% of the roads in the country remain unpaved. In light of this, knowing how asphalt is made helps to understand this dark and durable layer that covers highways and streets.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Two Main Types

The first important point is to understand that there are two main types of asphalt: hot and cold. Both have similar compositions, but each has specific characteristics and uses.

Hot asphalt is the most common and widely used in paving projects. Cold asphalt, on the other hand, stands out for being more practical for transport and application.

Production of Hot Asphalt

Hot asphalt is produced in plants, where Asphaltic Petroleum Cement (CAP) is mixed with aggregate materials, such as gravel. The CAP is a material obtained from the distillation of petroleum. Among the types used is CAP 50/70.

This mixture is heated to high temperatures and then applied directly to the ground. Next, compaction is done using equipment known as a compactor, which can be flat or tire-operated.

This process ensures firmness and durability of the asphalt layer.

How Cold Asphalt Works

Cold asphalt is a modified version of hot asphalt. It receives chemical additives that slow down the curing (hardening) process.

This means it can be stored and transported for a longer time without the need for immediate application.

This type of asphalt allows for stocking and application anywhere, regardless of the distance to the plant.

It can also be used in different climates and temperatures, even on rainy days.

Another advantage is the possibility of quick and on-demand use, making it ideal for small maintenance and emergency repairs.

Knowing how asphalt is made helps to appreciate this material that transforms transportation, reduces logistical costs, and improves road quality.

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

How Asphalt Is Made

Discover How Asphalt Used for Streets and Highways in Brazil Is Made and Understand the Difference Between Hot and Cold Types

Two Main Types

Production of Hot Asphalt

How Cold Asphalt Works

Dissatisfied with seeing people sleeping on the street, a man named Ryan Donais started building small mobile homes so that homeless people can escape the cold, each equipped with a bed, running water, electricity, and heating.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Two 17-year-old Kenyans use coconut shells, corn cobs, and recycled materials to create an exhaust filter that reduces 93.3% of pollutant particles and wins an environmental award in Africa.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Motorcyclist sees excavator arriving at the edge of a river in Bosnia, calls neighbors in minutes and turns a hydroelectric project into a resistance lasting more than 10 years with five expired concessions.

China has begun construction on what is set to become the world’s largest river lock on the Yangtze River, a megaproject costing 77.2 billion yuan that aims to more than double the cargo transport capacity at the Three Gorges Dam.

Chinese aircraft carriers on alert amid Japanese military advancement: exercises with 64 anti-ship missiles, F-35 fighters, and new Type-12 missiles highlight the race to protect giant fleets in the Western Pacific.

Science manages to “rewind” a light particle in the laboratory, makes a photon return to a previous state and reignites the debate about time travel, quantum physics, Einstein, and the future of quantum computers.

China begins construction of the world’s largest LNG ship, a 344-meter giant capable of supplying 4.7 million homes for a month, carrying 271,000 m³ of gas, and placing QatarEnergy in the largest naval order ever recorded in world history.

Bangladesh tested a house that seems to have hidden buoys, stays firm on the ground on dry days, and floats during floods without turning into a houseboat.

How Asphalt Is Made

Discover How Asphalt Used for Streets and Highways in Brazil Is Made and Understand the Difference Between Hot and Cold Types

Two Main Types

Production of Hot Asphalt

How Cold Asphalt Works

Dissatisfied with seeing people sleeping on the street, a man named Ryan Donais started building small mobile homes so that homeless people can escape the cold, each equipped with a bed, running water, electricity, and heating.

Workers were opening a modern road in Dover when they found, 6 meters below the asphalt, a 3,500-year-old boat made of stitched oak and plant fibers.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Two 17-year-old Kenyans use coconut shells, corn cobs, and recycled materials to create an exhaust filter that reduces 93.3% of pollutant particles and wins an environmental award in Africa.

Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Motorcyclist sees excavator arriving at the edge of a river in Bosnia, calls neighbors in minutes and turns a hydroelectric project into a resistance lasting more than 10 years with five expired concessions.

China has begun construction on what is set to become the world’s largest river lock on the Yangtze River, a megaproject costing 77.2 billion yuan that aims to more than double the cargo transport capacity at the Three Gorges Dam.

Bangladesh tested a house that seems to have hidden buoys, stays firm on the ground on dry days, and floats during floods without turning into a houseboat.

While regular houses face the hurricane head-on, a company in the United States sells round houses that deflect wind pressure, withstand 130 mph, and reach 190 mph with reinforcements.

The material that still causes surprise in Brazil has become walls in the USA, accelerated houses in Minnesota, and reduced heating costs by 70%.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China has begun construction on what is set to become the world’s largest river lock on the Yangtze River, a megaproject costing 77.2 billion yuan that aims to more than double the cargo transport capacity at the Three Gorges Dam.

Chinese aircraft carriers on alert amid Japanese military advancement: exercises with 64 anti-ship missiles, F-35 fighters, and new Type-12 missiles highlight the race to protect giant fleets in the Western Pacific.

Science manages to “rewind” a light particle in the laboratory, makes a photon return to a previous state and reignites the debate about time travel, quantum physics, Einstein, and the future of quantum computers.

China begins construction of the world’s largest LNG ship, a 344-meter giant capable of supplying 4.7 million homes for a month, carrying 271,000 m³ of gas, and placing QatarEnergy in the largest naval order ever recorded in world history.

Bangladesh tested a house that seems to have hidden buoys, stays firm on the ground on dry days, and floats during floods without turning into a houseboat.