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The yellow lines painted on Saskatchewan highways could soon have a much deeper connection to the Prairie landscape.
A new research initiative at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) is exploring whether canola oil can completely replace petroleum products in the province’s highway paint.
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If successful, the project could create a massive, home-grown market for a staple Saskatchewan crop while changing how the province maintains thousands of kilometres of asphalt.
Dr. Bishnu Acharya, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at U of S, is leading the charge. As the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Endowed Research Chair in Bioprocess Engineering, his team focuses on finding new, unexpected uses for local crops.
“Our province processes a large amount of canola, so basically in this research, we’ll be looking at canola oil as an ingredient for making paints,” Acharya said in a news release.
The battle against Saskatchewan winters
Right now, the yellow and white lines separating lanes across the province rely on petroleum resin paint.
The current formula is specifically designed to resist heavy traffic, cracking, and wear.However, Saskatchewan’s notoriously harsh winters mean highway crews are caught in a constant, expensive cycle of maintenance.
The elements strip the paint away year after year, forcing the province to eat a massive recurring bill just to keep drivers safe.
Acharya believes a bio-based paint could deliver the exact same durability without relying on fossil fuels.
While other plant-based alternatives like soybean and linseed oil have been tested in the past, canola oil has a unique molecular structure that requires its own direct testing.
“Those white or yellow paints cost a significant amount of money for the province,” Acharya explained in the release.
“I think if we meet the performance requirements at a similar cost, this project will be a success.”
Powerful provincial partnership
The project is not just confined to a university lab. U of S is actively collaborating with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways, alongside industry giant Richardson International and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Highways Minister Kim Gartner emphasized that the research is a win-win for both provincial infrastructure and local farmers.
“By exploring innovative uses for Saskatchewan-grown products such as canola, we are supporting our agricultural sector while looking for practical, cost-effective solutions that could improve how we maintain our highways for years to come,” Gartner said in the release.
The final phase of the long-term project will include a strict “techno-economic analysis.”
This phase will measure the exact cost-effectiveness of the new canola paint against traditional petroleum products to ensure it makes financial sense for Saskatchewan taxpayers before it ever hits the pavement.
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