Lake Co. looks to soy for bike path sealing
Hints of orange scent drifted through the Independence Grove Forest Preserve on Monday, but it wasn't emanating from the foliage.
The aroma was from a product being used for the first time in Illinois to seal the asphalt walking and biking paths at Lake County's most popular forest preserve.
Applied as a clear liquid, RePlay is a soy-based asphalt "rejuvenator" and sealant that does not contain any petroleum products, penetrates deeper and dries in the fraction of the time of a traditional sealer.
And though it doesn't produce the shiny, like-new black finish you're used to seeing after sealing the driveway, the advantages were worth a try, according to Mike Tully, director of operations and public safety for the Lake County Forest Preserve District.
"We liked it mainly for the ecological reasons. We're not using any petroleum products," he said.
The product was developed about five years ago by BioSpan Technologies Inc. of Washington, Mo., to extend the life of asphalt by keeping water out and limiting deterioration. The product is comprised of about three-quarters soybean oil derivatives and 20 percent polymers.
"Asphalt is a glue. A polymer is just a little better glue," according to Michael Freisthler, president of Asphalt Systems Inc., which spread about 600 gallons at Independence Grove. The Sidney, Ohio, firm is the manufacturer's representative east of the Mississippi River.
The product has been used in several states and is getting more attention as the cost of asphalt to build and repair roads and paths has doubled within the last two years, according to Freisthler.
"Nothing has changed much in our industry until the last year, when asphalt went to $70 a ton," he said.
Representatives from nearly a dozen entities, including the Naperville, Palatine, Highland Park and Wheaton park districts, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, McHenry County Conservation District, village of Gurnee and Newport Township dropped by to see the work in progress.
Preventive maintenance can prolong the life of roads and paths and save money on repairs or replacement over time, he said. The district paid about $20,000 to seal 3.2 miles of trails with RePlay, which is comparable to traditional products.
Tully encountered it two years ago at a national trail symposium and was sold on the experience reported in Ohio. Users in other states also reported longer-lasting protection, according to John Nelson, the district's project engineer.
Asphalt is resealed every three to five years, Tully said, but this was the first for Independence Grove since it opened seven years ago. Once applied, the trail surface darkened slightly but looked pretty much the same as it had.
The difference was that the soy-based sealer penetrated about an inch into the surface compared with about a quarter inch for traditional sealer. And since it cured within 15 to 30 minutes, trail sections were opened quickly rather than being closed for an entire day.