UTM lecturers say innovations have strong potential for commercialisation, cost savings

A group of researchers have come up with award-winning green innovations that turn waste into materials which can partly replace bitumen and restore old roads, helping to reduce both environmental impact and construction costs.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) highway engineering lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Norhidayah Abdul Hassan said its Pavement and Transportation Research Group had developed two eco-friendly products, namely the Food-Waste Binder (FWB) and Maltenator.

She told StarMetro the dual innovation, which won the top award at the 2023 South International Invention Fair held in South Korea, offers a long-term solution to two persistent problems – deteriorating roads and excessive food waste.

“Johor produces between 2,000 and 3,000 tonnes of food waste daily, enough to produce 300 to 450 tonnes of FWB through their patented process.

“Depending on the type of food waste, we need about 2.9 to 6.7 tonnes of it to make one tonne of binder.

“This technology can replace up to 30% of the bitumen used in road mixtures.

“For example, a 1km stretch of two-lane road normally needs about 40 tonnes of bitumen but with our binder, we can replace up to 12 tonnes of it,” said Norhidayah.

Norhidayah says by using the FWB, construction costs can be significantly reduced.

She said that using the binder could cut construction costs by RM30,000 to RM45,000 per kilometre, depending on the formulation.

“Our product is specially designed and tested to perform well in Malaysia’s hot and humid weather.

“It shows strong resistance to heat-related damage, including deformation such as rutting (surface depression).

“Besides cutting costs and reducing the use of petroleum-based materials like bitumen, this initiative also offers a greener way to handle food waste, which often ends up in landfills, producing bad smells and harmful gases,” she elaborated.

While some local councils and contractors have shown interest and provided positive feedback, Norhidayah said the team was still looking for collaboration with industry players.

“This technology has strong commercial potential, especially in countries that generate large amounts of food waste and rely heavily on imported bitumen,” she added.

Meanwhile, UTM highway engineering lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Haryati Yaacob, who leads the Maltenator project, said the product was used to restore aged asphalt.

“Every year, tonnes of old road materials are removed during maintenance.

“Instead of discarding them, these components can be recycled using Maltenator to extend road lifespan and reduce the need for new resources.

“Both innovations have undergone extensive lab testing and we are now planning for large-scale production and collaborative field trials,” she said.