Iowa makes roads out of soybeans and recycled asphalt - Axios Des MoinesLog InLog InAxios Des Moines is an Axios company.

Iowa makes roads out of soybeans and recycled asphalt

Check out this soy-based road test site later this month at the in Boone. Photo courtesy of A soy-based asphalt technology discovered by accident last year at Iowa State University will be nationally available for commercial use next year. Why it matters: It could save consumers and governments big money. State of play: A misunderstood and incomplete lab experiment resulted in the breakthrough, Austin Hohmann, an ISU graduate student, said in a university .Researchers, who have been testing the product for roughly a decade, recently launched , which is developing the rejuvenator product. How it works: "" is a compound made of soybean oil that is mixed with recycled asphalt.It changes the molecules in the reused material, triggering chemical reactions that composition and makes pavement constructed with it more durable. By the numbers: Rejuvenator can reduce paving costs by as much as 80% compared to projects that use new materials, Eric Cochran, a chemical and biological engineering professor at ISU, said. Each acre of its pavement uses thousands of pounds of soybean oil. Of note: The technology works best in lower-traffic projects like recreational trails, driveways and parking lots, Cochran said.It could also be cheaper for many rural roads projects, he said. Go see it: A nearly one-acre test site will be on display at the Farm Progress Show in Boone from . Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

More Des Moines stories

No stories could be found Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Des Moines.Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.