Green pavement recycling technology applied in Shaanxi—100% recycling of waste asphalt in the road maintenance of Xi'an Hi-tech Industries Development Zone
Have you seen any case of road maintenance and improvement “without closing the road, without affecting traffic and without noise”? In the morning of March 20, such a case was seen on Jinye Second Road in the development zone.
A 100m west segment from Tangyan South Road of Jinye Second Road to Zhangba Second Road in the development zone was improved using a brand-new road maintenance technology – “thermal regeneration-based road maintenance”. This technology was applied in Shaanxi Province for the first time, in which a thermal regeneration-based in-situ pavement maintenance operation was performed to meet the national standard for resource recycling without affecting traffic.
The reporter saw on the spot that the equipment package consisted of a heating machine, a milling machine, a remixer, a paver and a roller, and the construction process was carried out with asphalt heated and milled in situ, without closing the road, without noise, without waste and without pollution.
Compared to traditional technologies, “thermal regeneration-based road maintenance” does not occupy any other lane, and has minimal interference and high efficiency (from 2,000m per day to over 10,000m per day). In addition, it eliminates the need for material transport, and is highly safe due to mechanical operation. According to a road maintenance expert, in-situ asphalt thermal regeneration realized the 100% recycling of the old pavement material, saving substantial sand, stone and asphalt resources, and also preventing the extensive occupation of land resources due to mining and waste excavation. Since asphalt is chemically inert and hard to decompose, it will affect nearby ecology, and food and water safety for a long time. Thermal regeneration eliminates environmental pollution caused by waste asphalt, protects woodland, and maintains the natural landscape and ecology effectively. In in-situ thermal regeneration, asphalt mixture is fully heated and softened, and a number of technologies are applied to minimize asphalt aging without generating smoke and without causing air pollution. In contrast, traditional processes are too complex and energy-inefficient, and would affect nearby traffic and normal life greatly.
The thermal regeneration-based road maintenance technology applied to the maintenance of Jinye Second Road is a project under the National 863 Program and the National Torch Program, and a key new product of the state, and has been applied extensively in developed countries and many Chinese cities, but was applied in Shaanxi for the first time.
From: WeChat public account “Transport Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection”