The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to introduce a novel and renewably resource-derived polymer, Polyacrylated Glycerol (PAG), to the asphalt road maintenance industry. The project will demonstrate the performance and efficiency of PAG to improve the performance and life expectancy of common asphalt maintenance applications. If successful, this project will create a pathway to new demand for glycerol, a significant byproduct of the bio-diesel industry. Furthermore, it will create the potential to replace up to 50,000 tons per year of petroleum-derived polymers with a green product having significant renewable content. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 project will explore the potential for PAG elastomers to perform as adhesion promoters, sealants, primers, and asphalt additives in asphalt roadway maintenance applications. A series of laboratory produced PAG polymers with variations in molecular weight, average acrylic functionality, and residual acrylic acid comonomer content will be explored using a series of laboratory-based tests designed to characterize performance of asphalt primers, seal coats, tack coats, micro surfacing, and chip seals modified with the PAG polymers. In addition, this Phase 1 project will explore the potential to scale-up the manufacturing of the PAG polymer from a laboratory scale to pilot scale. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
