Haifang Wen, a professor in civil and environmental engineering at Washington State University could make my job easier in the future. One thing I hear regularly when out talking to members of the public about local transportation issues is that there must be a better, longer-lasting material with which to pave our roads. Wen is looking into it- researching new ways of making asphalt better and cheaper.
One alternative to traditional asphalt that Wen and the people in his lab are looking into is bioasphalt. Instead of using petroleum, waste cooking oil can be processed into asphalt. A Spokesman-Review reporter visited Wen’s laboratory and tells us what is underway there.