Consortium between road concessionaire and producers of used tire powder for the development of sustainable road infrastructure

Description

Consortium between road concessionaire and producers of used tire powder for the development of sustainable road infrastructure

Botasso, Gerardo

LEMaC, Road Research Center

National Technological University of La Plata

60th and 124th Street, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

gerardobot@hotmail.com.ar

ABSTRACT. The incorporation of end-of-life tire (ELT) rubber powder into hot mix asphalt plays a significant role when considering the inverted waste management hierarchy, sustainability, and the durability and performance of these mixtures. The authors and their respective institutions have conducted research and published work related to this topic.

This paper presents the strategies and technologies developed for the formation of a technological consortium aimed at enabling the use of ELTs in a concessioned road network in the province of Córdoba, Argentina.

An analysis is conducted on the generation of ELTs in the country and specifically in the province of Córdoba, the recycling sector associated with them, and their main applications in industrial processes. It also covers tire shredding technologies and the rubber powder generation rate.

The road concessionaire currently uses various types of asphalt mixtures for new construction and maintenance works. Based on these, new specifications are being developed to incorporate ELT rubber powder. The wet process is analyzed as a modification strategy, including the use of pre-digested and pre-treated rubber powders. Technologies for each approach are developed and implemented in four one-kilometer experimental test sections, with the selection criteria for these segments also discussed.

The tire shredding system, technologies for incorporating rubber into asphalt binders and their classification, as well as the direct modification of selected asphalt mixtures using pre-digested or pre-treated rubber, are addressed in this paper, involving the key stakeholders of the construction process.

Finally, the feasibility of the system is analyzed in the context of forming an innovative technological consortium, involving the main actors of the value chain, sharing investment risks, and ensuring mutual access to the required technologies.

KEYWORDS: CONSORTIUM – END-OF-LIFE TIRE RUBBER POWDER – SHREDDING – PRE-DIGESTED – PRE-TREATED – WET PROCESS