The general public are becoming increasingly displeased with poor road quality namely pot holes and rutting. Our company has approached this problem responsibly and offers a solution using recycled plastics as an additive in asphalt roads.
By adding recycled plastics to asphalt roads we not only increase the quality and durability of the asphalt surfaces produced in this way, but at the same time we can also recover plastic that would normally end their lives in incinerators, landfill or at sea.
Viakorp s.r.o. is one of the first companies that are implementing this process. The company offers several types of plastic additives for use in road making from trunk and arterial roads up to motorways.
A number of tests have been carried out for the use of suitable polymers for road building using UKAS accredited laboratories and universities from all over the UK and around the world. These roads have undergone vigorous testing, the results of which have been highly satisfying. As a result of these tests the following "MR” products have been approved for general use.
“MR” Products:
All “MR” products are a blend of carefully selected polymers that are specially designed to:
- reduce the quantity of bitumen required in the asphalt mixture,
- reduce the amount of plastic waste in our seas, landfills and/or incinerators,
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
All of the above can be used to enhance environmental benefits, each “MR” product is designed to perform a specfic task.
- MR6 has been designed to reduce the deformation of the wear layer caused by the bitumen in hot weather, heavy traffic and/or insufficient binder stiffness.
- MR8 does not affect the asphalt properties but allows the reduction in fossil fuels through providing a smoother finish that uses plastic waste.
- MR10 has been designed to reduce the formation of cracks on asphalt- some of which are caused by low temperatures or inconsistent substrates (dilation in concrete roads).
MR6
MR6 is a complex arrangement of polyolefin’s intended for mixture with bitumen and reduces the risk of asphalt deformation. The recommended dosage is 6%- 8% of asphalt binder.
MR6 benefits
- increases stiffness,
- increases resistance to deformation,
- improves moisture resistance,
- increases the temperature at which bitumen deformation occurs,
- improves fuel resistance properties,
- reduces CO2 emissions,
- reduces fossil fuel requirements,
- reduces plastic waste.
MR8
MR8 is a blend of polymers designed to maximise environmental benefits in standard asphalt mixtures on low to medium use roadways. The recommended dosage is 6%-10% of binder replacement.
MR8 benefits
- maintains stiffness,
- provides resistance against deformation,
- provides resistance against crack propagation,
- provides moisture resistance,
- increases the temperature at which bitumen deformation occurs,
- improves fuel resistance properties,
- reduces CO2 emissions,
- reduces fossil fuel requirements,
- reduces plastic waste.
Places where MR8 has been used: (A689 Durham, Tesco car park Dumfries, Turkey, Bahrain)
MR10
MR10 contains a block copolymer. It is designed to mix into asphalt or bitumen to reduce the risk of cracking. It is used to cover concrete areas with cracks, roundabouts, junctions in all types of climates around the world. The recommended dosage is 4%-8% of binder replacement.
MR10 benefits
- increases stiffness,
- reduces the risk of cracking at low temperatures,
- improves overload resistance,
- improves the bonding ability,
- increases hardening resistance,
- increases deformation resistance,
- increases resistance to crack coverage,
- improves fuel resistance properties,
- reduces CO2 emissions,
- reduces fossil fuel requirements,
- reduces plastic waste.
Places where MR20 has been used: (A709 Dumfries, Brisbane Australia, Top-Bahrain, Green dragon lane London, UK)
Application
These products are intended for application in wet or dry mixes, there is no need to change the mixing times or the temperature in the production of asphalt. However, as a part of quality control it is recommended that first a small sample of mixed asphalt should be produced, then a test sample of the mixed asphalt produced is then subjected to a binder recovery test using methylene chloride to determine whether the binder has been fully homogenised between the product and the bitumen. If complete homogenisation has not been achieved, then it is suggested that the mixing times should be adjusted as necessary. "MR" products are sold in sacks or large bags depending on the quantity required by the user.
Quality control of plastic waste
Waste coming from domestic, commercial and industrial sectors are carefully selected for production of these products. Working closely with supply companies and plastic waste processors ensures that the polymers used are delivered under strict quality control procedures. The raw ingredients are collected at the factory where they are mixed in the correct proportions of each polymer to create the “MR" products.
Environmental benefits
MRproducts are used to replace bitumen in asphalt mixtures. This reduces the need to obtain fossil fuels for bitumen production as a part of the production process. With respect to plastics, while conventional recycling helps to reduce waste plastics from landfills and incinerations in the short term, the production of new plastic products using recycled plastic usually requires an element of the original polymer that returns the plastic back to their original use. This leads to a larger volume of plastic on the planet. If this large volume is not recycled the only options are landfill, incineration or loss of the natural environment. Asphalt roads with added plastic recycled materials can be routinely recycled just as conventional asphalt mixtures used on roads.
CO 2
MR products reduce harmful CO2 emissions:
- reduce bitumen consumption
- for MR6 and MR10, new polymers for asphalt modification also avoid polymers
- cost savings associated with pollution by burning plastic waste.
CO 2
MR products can be used in any type of asphalt that is mixed using a wet or dry process, thereby increasing the benefits of such products on all asphalts worldwide. 90% of the asphalt market uses standard asphalt in the asphalt and 10% use polymer modified bitumen. MR8 is most suitable for use as a replacement for standard bitumen, “MR6" and “MR10" are designed to be used as an alternative to bitumen modified polymers. The table below shows the potential CO2 savings in the use of MR products worldwide. In this example , conservatively 6% of the bitumen replacing MR products were used, but MR8 could be used to replace upto 10% of the standard bitumen.
Moving forward
We are constantly developing products to optimise the use of waste plastic in the construction industry.
We are currently researching following:
- reinforcement of concrete products,
- coldpacked products,
- asphalt sealing products.
We are currently setting up distributors around the V4 countries, as markets develop and mature the company will extend the production to new territories to fulfill our mission of “LOCAL PLASTICS FOR LOCAL ROADS” Products can be shipped locally through our distribution, or worldwide by MacRebur UK.
In conclusion
The waste plastic we produce today should not become a burden for future generations. By using “MR”’ products on the roads we all participate to the reduction of plastic waste in landfills, incinerators and at sea. We also significantly participate in the reduction of fossil fuels needed in the production of asphalt and as a direct result we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that if all of the worlds asphalt production contained “MR" products as a bitumen additive then 4.8 million tonnes of fossil fuels would be saved and millions of tonnes of plastic waste could be recovered from waste recycling every year.