Skip to main content

Road recycling with Ammann in China

A Chinese road builder is planning to add recycling capabilities to its existing asphalt-mixing plants to meet new environmental guidelines. Another benefit of this approach is that the firm will also be able to substantially reduce its costs CSCEC Road & Bridge is a highly successful business in China and utilises Ammann Uniglobe Asphalt-Mixing Plants for its operations. The firm says that the results have been impressive and during one key road expansion project, one of its Uniglobe plants produced 700
February 27, 2019 Read time: 3 mins
Ammann plants have been upgraded with the addition of RAP circuits for a client in China
A Chinese road builder is planning to add recycling capabilities to its existing asphalt-mixing plants to meet new environmental guidelines. Another benefit of this approach is that the firm will also be able to substantially reduce its costs


CSCEC Road & Bridge is a highly successful business in China and utilises 6791 Ammann Uniglobe Asphalt-Mixing Plants for its operations. The firm says that the results have been impressive and during one key road expansion project, one of its Uniglobe plants produced 7000tonnes in a single day. The plant also managed to deliver an average of 5000tonnes/day for the duration of the project. Both numbers are thought to be all-time production highs for China.

However, production output is not the only key factor for asphalt plants in China. New regulations are requiring an increasing use of ARP in asphalt mixes, so as to improve the environmental profile of construction operations.

“In recent years, as more and more public-private partnerships are coming out, we also are paying more attention to recycling technology,” said Zhou Shixin, chairman of a CSCEC Road & Bridge branch in Shijiazhuang City.

The company has owned four productive Ammann Uniglobe plants for some time but these machines are still well within their effective operating life and have many years of productive use ahead of them before requiring replacement. As a result CSCEC Road & Bridge opted to add recycling capabilities to its existing Ammann plants

Ammann has considerable expertise in upgrading its plants. The upgrade for the four plants has included the addition of an RAH drum that heats the RAP before depositing it in the mixer. When using RAP in a mix it is necessary to have the separate RAH drum because the material has to be gently preheated.. This is because the valuable bitumen in the RAP can be damaged when overheated. After preheating, the RAP is deposited in the mixer, where it is then blended with the hot virgin aggregate. The result is a quality mix with a high percentage of recyclables.

Ammann has a great deal of experience in making the plant upgrades, and was able to complete the work in the off-season, so as not to affect the firm’s production during its busy period.

Adding the RAP capability has proven effective for the customer as this method is considerably less expensive than purchasing a new plant with recycling ability. According to Zhou, this has provided a highly cost-effective solution.

The company appreciates the green approach and the costs savings. “We can mill our own material for public-private partnerships and reduce costs by 20-30%,” Zhou said.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Glass ceiling breakthrough for Ammann in Australia
    November 18, 2019
    An Ammann ABP High Recycling Technology (HRT) asphalt mixing plant is a key part of an Australian recycled glass-for-asphalt scheme.
  • Ammann provides first fully-assembled asphalt plant at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017
    March 6, 2017
    Ammann has provided CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 with the first fully-assembled asphalt mixing plant in the trade show’s history. The plant, an ABA UniBatch, stands at a height of nearly 27m. It is a key product for Ammann as it enters the North American asphalt plant market.
  • Ammann’s asphalt plant offering for China
    November 21, 2018
    Ammann is offering a range of versatile and productive asphalt plants for the Chinese market, which it builds at its facility in Shanghai. The firm’s range includes large and highly productive plants, as well as more compact units that are designed for mobility. The Ammann ABP 320 HRT Asphalt-Mixing Plant is said to be an ideal fit for asphalt manufacturers that need to incorporate large proportions of recycled asphalt (RAP) without sacrificing production capacity and quality. Ammann is an industry leader
  • Sophisticated concrete plants coming to market
    July 28, 2015
    Concrete production technology is advancing as new systems come to market – Mike Woof reports The efficient production of high-quality concrete is crucial to many construction projects. Whether high-output plants are being used for large bridge or tunnel projects, or smaller mobile units are being used to supply specific operations such as central reservation barrier installation, the quality of the product is vital. Production technology has improved across the board due to the introduction of new systems.