DAlready used to produce biofuel, plastic or cosmetics, microalgae are presented as a serious alternative to petroleum. In this perspective, microalgae were used for the first time to make bitumen.
This biobitum was created as part of the Algoroute project, led by researchers from the University of Nantes and the French Institute for Transport, Planning and Network Sciences and Technologies (Ifsttar). To achieve this, they mixed algae and pressurized water, until they obtained a black and viscous liquid close to conventional petroleum. And the similarities are not limited to its appearance, since biobitume has the same properties as petroleum: “Liquid above 100 ° C, it allows to coat mineral aggregates viscoelastic from -20 ° C to 60 ° C , it ensures the cohesion of the granular structure, supports loads and relaxes mechanical stresses ”.
Tests must now be conducted to study the behavior of this biobitum over time, and the profitability of the process before seeing it, perhaps, cover our roads. Microalgae have long been known for their applications as colorants in cosmetics or as food supplements. Refining them to produce, for example, biofuels, is an idea that has emerged in recent years. Today, microalgae are among the promising alternatives to petroleum. With the development of efficient and profitable processes, many products from the refining industry would become accessible.
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