Iowa makes roads out of soybeans and recycled asphalt

State of play: A misunderstood and incomplete lab experiment resulted in the breakthrough, Austin Hohmann, an ISU graduate student, said in a university news release.

• Researchers, who have been testing the product for roughly a decade, recently launched SoyLei Innovations, which is developing the rejuvenator product.

How it works: "Invigorate Rejuvenator" 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 restore balance in its 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 Aug 30.-Sept 1.