Hot-in-place machine arrives in hottest place

The Martec AR2000 Super Recycler transforms old road surfaces. Photo: ITP

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A special asphalt recycling machine has been launched in the region.

Built by Canadian firm Martec, the hot-in-place road ‘train’ reduces, recycles and re-lays blacktop on the fly. The equipment was revealed in the scorching afternoon sun in Jebel Ali on Sunday.

Already popular in both north and south America, the makers claim that the machine can slash repaving costs by more than a third, and over half the amount of time, without sacrificing road quality.

The core of the recycling machine is the AR2000 Super Recycler, which comprises of a pre-heater unit to melt the tarmac. The product is then milled on the machine while hot, and various admixtures are introduced as required. From there, the mix goes through a post-heater and dryer which ensures the mix is consistent, and has no excess moisture in it. From this point, the mix is relayed directly to a paver.

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The leviathan hot-in-place paver is the first in the Gulf, and has arrived in the UAE as the county’s first generation of macadam roads are in need of resurfacing. Initially, the equipment is to see service in Abu Dhabi, and then, the maker hopes, the technology will be taken up across the rest of the GCC.

Martec has formed an alliance with local firm  Bund Contracting to bring the machine to the Middle East. Speaking at the launch, Vincent Barboza, an executive manager at the Martec-Bund group said: “The machine will reduce time and costs – and in most cases actually increase paving quality.”

Industrial recycling for the municipalities has come a long way in 2010. Apart from the tarmac machine, we have also seen the launch of a tyre recycling plant in Sharjah. The plant run by environmental body Bee’ah also turns waste material into road surface – in this case by turning rubber crumb into blacktop.

Elsewhere, a building waste reprocessing plant has opened in Abu Dhabi. Among other roles, the Lippman-powered plant turns rubble into hard core for use in road beds.