Materials

Leading asphalt plant manufacturers have recently unveiled their latest products aimed at customers looking for significant efficiency gains through the use of durable and lasting technology. Guy Woodford looks at some of the new batch Benninghoven showcased a wide variety of its new and innovative asphalt plants and individual plant components during its week-long Open Days event last month at the German firm’s HQ in Mülheim. Launched earlier this year, the MMX80 Continuous Asphalt Plant is capable of prod

Warm mix asphalt can save energy and the environment, cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases, but are environmental arguments enough for clients and contractors? Kristina Smith asks Though popular in the United States, warm mix asphalt is still a technology waiting to happen in the rest of the world. Chemical companies who imagined a meteoric rise in sales are still waiting for the right economic conditions to allow warm mix to start taking serious market share from hot mix. “In Europe

Novel crushing and screening developments are coming to market - Mike Woof reports A wide array of innovations and market developments are occurring in the sector for quarrying machinery. New technologies are being introduced while business developments are also changing the face of this market segment. There is strong interest in new technology from industry too and this was well highlighted by data from the organisers of the Hillhead quarry show in the UK. The organisers revealed that there was a jump of

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is common practice in many countries. The aged bitumen from RAP has a lower penetration and is more viscous than it was when first mixed. The reclaimed bitumen is generally balanced by the addition of fresh binder softer than the traditional one used to produce hot mixes. However, balancing penetration and softening point or viscosity does not produce an identical bitumen to the original one. One fundamental option is the regeneration of the aged binder in order t

A mobile crushing solution at an Argentine quarry is said to increase production by 100% Caminos del Mercosur found success in the mid-1990s supplying crushed rock for the construction of new roads. Recently the company has enhanced its reputation as an innovator in aggregates production and supply through the adoption of tracked crushing technology. Based in Posadas, Misiones, Argentina, it says it has modernised its production capabilities through investing in a modern, mobile crusher, the Sandvik supplie

An urgent need to improve and extend its road network means that Brazil is open to innovation and new ideas - the timing looks good for Kraton and its highly modified asphalt. Kristina Smith reports On 15th August Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff announced a US$66 billion (BRL 133 billion) investment package for the country’s road and rail networks. Of that, $21 billion (BRL 42 billion) is earmarked for the upgrade or construction of 7,500km of highways through a series of concessions. “We’re starting an

Nymølle Stenindustrier, a Denmark based gravel supplier, has replaced some of its screening media with Sandvik’s new WR Modular Screening Media. The modular construction of the new system meant that neither the frame, nor the screen, needed to be rebuilt, with a bonus being that the new screen is said to provide around 15% greater production capacity, with enhanced material separation, making the replacement a highly cost-effective investment.

From chip fat to banana bags, the race is on to find new bitumen additives which will solve two problems with one solution: replace diminishing petrochemical-based products and make use from waste rather than landfilling it - Kristina Smith reports It is not just the desire to preserve our environment which is driving the industry’s search for products which don’t eat up raw materials. The hunger of emerging economies – particularly China – mean that resources can be hard to come by, so it makes sense for s

Superior Industries (SI) claims its TeleStacker Conveyor can stockpile 30% more material per move than similar radial stackers. Said by SI to be the largest heavyduty machine of its kind in the world, the Telestacker conveyor has an operating tonnage ranging from 200-5,000t/ph and is available as a specially configured Mine Duty model designed and built, in the main, for mining industry and heap leaching applications. According to SI, a key element of the TeleStacker conveyor design is the patented FB Under