UTM lecturers say that innovations have strong potential for commercialization and cost savings
A group of researchers has developed award -winning green innovations that transform waste into materials, some of which can replace the bitumen and restore old roads, which means that both the environmental impact and the construction costs can be reduced.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Highway Engineering Assocurer Prof. Norhidayah Abdul Hassan said that his research group of civil engineers and traffic developed two environmentally friendly products, namely the binder (food waste binder) and the specialist men.
She announced Starmetro that the double innovation, which won the top award in South Korea 2023 South International Invention, offers a long-term solution for two persistent problems, and excessive food waste.
“Joor produces between 2,000 and 3,000 tons of food waste every day to produce 300 to 450 tons of FWB through their patented process.
“Depending on the type of food waste, we need about 2.9 to 6.7 tons of it to prepare a ton of binder.
“This technology can replace up to 30% of the bitumen used in street mixtures.
“For example, a 1 km route on the two -lane road usually needs about 40 tons of bitumen, but with our folder we can replace up to 12 tons,” said Norhidayah.
According to Norhidayah, construction costs with the FWB can be significantly reduced.
She said that the use of the binder could reduce the construction costs of 30,000 RM to 45,000 RM per kilometer, depending on the wording.
“Our product is specially developed and tested to achieve a good performance in Malaysia's hot and moist weather.
“It shows a strong resistance to heat -related damage, including deformations such as Rütten (surface impression).
“This initiative not only reduces the costs and reduction of the use of materials based on oil such as bitumen, but also offers an environmentally friendly way to deal with food waste that often end up in landfill deponies and generate bad smells and harmful gases,” she developed.
While some municipal councilors and contractors have shown interest and gave positive feedback, Norhidayah said that the team is still looking for cooperation with the actors in the industry.
“This technology has a strong commercial potential, especially in countries that generate large amounts of food waste and are heavily dependent on imported bitumen,” she added.
In the meantime, the lecturer of the UTM Highway Engineering, Prof. Haryati Yaacob, who heads the Maltenator project, said with the product used to restore the aged asphalt.
“Every year, tons of old street materials are removed during maintenance.
“Instead of disposing of them, these components can be recycled using Maltenator to extend the lifespan of the street and reduce the need for new resources.
“Both innovations have carried out extensive laboratory tests, and we are now planning for large -scale production and collaborative field tests,” she said.