Christopher Williams, associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, will see his invention put to the test.

Williams created Bioasphalt, a mixture of bio-oil and asphalt, with his former graduate students Jared Brown, Cody Ellens, and Anthony Pollard. Bioasphalt is a green replacement for asphalt that improves the performance of pavements in extreme temperature. It is a product of Avello Bioenergy.

Now the Bioasphalt has been used in an asphalt mixture that helped pave a Des Moines bike trail.

Jeb Brewer, city engineer for the city of Des Moines, said in a news release that the trail is 10 feet wide and will run from University Avenue to Franklin Avenue.

“We have a fairly active program for finding ways to conserve energy and be more sustainable,” Brewer said. “We’re interested in seeing how this works out and whether it can be part of our toolbox to create more sustainable projects.”

Williams said it is a great opportunity for his product.

“We’re introducing a green technology into a green environment in Des Moines,” he said, “and it’s a technology that’s been developed here in Iowa.”