A Mexican student has created a revolutionary type of road pavement that can repair itself when exposed to rain, offering a potential solution to the deteriorating roadways in many areas. Israel Antonio Briseño Carmona, a student at Coahuila Autonomous University, developed the innovative formula by melting down recycled tires and blending them with various other ingredients to create a special putty. This unique mixture reacts with rainwater, which acts as a catalyst, triggering a process that forms calcium silicates to mend any damage caused by the weather.
A New Way to Combat Deteriorating Roads
Carmona’s breakthrough was inspired by the severe damage Mexico’s roads suffer due to the wear and tear caused by rainwater. When water seeps into the pavement, it weakens the surface and causes subsidence. Carmona’s goal was to turn rainwater, which is typically the culprit in road damage, into a healing agent. As he explains, while regenerative pavements already exist, none of them use rainwater as the catalyst, nor are they made from recycled tires, making his invention truly unique.
Winning National Recognition
Carmona’s self-repairing road formula won him the prestigious James Dyson Award for 2019, an honor that recognizes groundbreaking innovations. He is now working to get the pavement approved for use in Mexico. If successful, Carmona hopes to launch his own construction company to begin manufacturing and applying this sustainable and cost-effective paving solution to roads across the country.
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