1. American Infrastructure
Head CEO’s: Tim Jennison
Alex Mancino

2. Our Job
Our job is to tell you why asphalt needs to keep being
manufactured to make roads and highways.
We’re also here to tell the social, environmental, and
economic benefits of using asphalt for making roads
and highways.

3. Why???
Why is Asphalt such an important by- product of
Petroleum?
Because asphalt is used to make all roads and
highways, which are the veins and arteries of
countries.
Highways and roads: Decrease travel time, Increase
trade, Make for quicker emergency service response,
make cars more gas efficient and connects the entire
country.

4. What is Asphalt?
Asphalt is simply what is left over after crude
petroleum is refined in a Distillation tower.
It is found as a black tar like substance (Not tar
though, that’s a different substance) at the bottom
of the Distillation Tower, it is 80% carbon.
Nothing else is done to the asphalt, it is scraped out
of the bottom of the distillation tower, mixed with
crushed granite and other minerals, heated, and then
its ready to be laid down and paved.

5. Transportation
Shipping by Barge: This is the cheapest and cleanest
way to transport asphalt.
Transportation by Train: More expensive, but there
are many terminals for drop off around the country.
Transportation by Truck: This is the most common
way to transport but expensive because a truck can
not move as much asphalt as a barge or train.

6. Research and
Development
Asphalt has generally been developed and
researched as much as it possibly could have been
since it is so simple to make.
It can’t really be made any better, it has hit its peak of
perfection
Bio asphalt is being researched but it will be much
more expensive and complicated to produce on as
large of a scale as present day asphalt

7. Manufacturing
This is how asphalt is produced
Large amounts of asphalt for highways only takes
about 3 days to manufacture, the actual paving
process a little longer.
Asphalt is relatively easy to manufacture

8. 1.
Asphalt starts out as crude oil that is refined in a
Distillation tower.
to to

9. 2.
The crude oil is refined and the hydrocarbon mixture
that falls to the very bottom is called asphalt.

10. 3.
The hydrocarbon mixture is heated until it is the
consistency of tar.

11. 4.
The tar like asphalt is then mixed with sand, gravel
and other minerals and is then ready to be put down
for roads and highways.

12. Environmental Benefits
Asphalt is a waste product that is found in the
distillation tower, so if it was not used for roads it
would probably be disposed of into our environment
and would definitely be a pollutant.
Asphalt from destroyed roads is always recycled and
used for new roads.
Asphalt roads actually make cars more gas efficient,
which helps us cut back on petroleum use.

13. Alternatives
There are very few alternatives to asphalt, besides
concrete and dirt roads. Yet asphalt is used for a
reason, since it is so much more efficient than these
substitutes.
Asphalt is used because primarily it is cheaper than
concrete. Asphalt is also more pliable, and can
expand and contract in changing weather. Concrete,
however, cannot expand or contract as well. Also
Asphalt creates less noise than Concrete.

14. Other Uses of Asphalt
Roof Shingles
Airport Runways
Tennis Courts
Waterproofing tunnels

15. Why Asphalt Should
Continue to be Made
1. First, asphalt made roads are the most efficient
roads that can be made.
2. Asphalt roads are always recycled and reused for
new roads, once they are destroyed.
3. Asphalt roads are the most used form of
transportation on this planet.
4. Asphalt is relatively cheap, and easy to make roads
with.

16. Continued…
5. If the Asphalt in the bottom of the distillation tower is
no longer used for roads, what happens to it? It will
have to be disposed of which is a waste of a useful by-
product. Also who knows how it will be disposed, it may
be extremely harmful to the environment.
6. Lastly, as long as crude oil keeps being refined for
whatever reasons, there is always going to be asphalt
since it is only a residue. So why would we waste that
when its going to be there anyways.

17. Works Cited
http://www.enotes.com/how-products-
encyclopedia/asphalt-cement
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-is-asphalt-made.htm
http://www.buildingjournal.com/asphalt-driveway-
estimating.html
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7747scit6.htm
l
Gormins Brothers