Extensive ?grip testing? on a short stretch of one of the busiest roads in Scotland – a dual carriageway between Perth and Dundee that carries around 35,000 vehicles a day – has confirmed the new material?s viability.
?This could transform our approach to road surfacing in the UK,? said Alan Mackenzie, chief executive of Breedon Aggregates Scotland, which produces the material.
Following the success of the trial in Scotland, Breedon Aggregates will begin to market the new material, to be called Breedon Polymer R+, from its 18 asphalt plants throughout Scotland and England.
In the coming months, the material will be monitored against several key performance criteria, including skid resistance, and the early indications are very encouraging.
?Our industry has been trying for years to successfully incorporate recycled rubber into asphalt, without much success.
?Thanks to a new technology, which we are partnering with Danish firm Genan to promote in the UK, we can help change that,? said Mackenzie.
Previous attempts involved trying to melt the rubber completely before mixing it with stone and bitumen while the new technology enables it to incorporate rubber particles directly into the binding agent at lower temperatures, with lower levels of
emissions.
This delivers significant environmental benefits – and not just with regards to emissions. EU rules have banned the disposal of tyres to landfill, leaving large quantities of shredded rubber.
According to the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association, almost 480,000 tonnes of used tyres were discarded in the UK in 2009.
Life Cycle Assessment studies show that for every tonne of scrap tyres used for rubber modification of bitumen and asphalt, 1.1 tonnes of CO2 emissions are saved, compared with incineration of the tyres.
Sources: Construction News (UK), Scotsman.com, Construction Enquirer