Australia has increasingly looked to the paving industry for innovation and solutions to move its sustainable roadway ambitions forward. However, to achieve higher amounts of reclaimed asphalt pavement (greater than 25%), an effective asphalt rejuvenator must be used to restore the functional properties of the aged bitumen. With ReLIXER®, a recycling agent developed by Sripath Technologies, the Australian market can now look to high-RAP mixes as an alternative. The story including plans for research and trials specific to Australia was covered in the August 2022 issue of Roads & Infrastructure.
“It’s only recently that high quality recycling agents have been commercially offered in Australia,” explained Ravi Rajagopalan, General Manager, Sripath Asia-Pac. “Now, many contractors have a serious option to increase the use of RAP in their asphalt mixes for both base course and wear layer. And that has been facilitated with the availability of ReLIXER, a leading rejuvenator technology.”
ReLIXER not only allows for rejuvenation of aged bitumen in a mix but also has the potential to provide significant savings to contractors. This is because the increased use of RAP also reduces the need for virgin bitumen and aggregates in a balanced mix design. ReLIXER is also highly dosage efficient, helping to keep additive costs down.
An effective asphalt rejuvenator should also make it easier for both plants and contractors to work with materials, and ReLIXER does just that. The recycling agent can be incorporated into both hot and cold mixes for existing asphalt production processes, making it seamless to use and without requiring new equipment. “You can use it across any plant, it could be drum mix plant, a batch mix plant, or an operator can add it to the bitumen tank, inject it in the line with the bitumen feed line, or even spray it on the RAP,” Rajagopalan shared.
This flexibility does not come with sacrifices to roadway performance outcomes. According to Dr. Filippo Giustozzi, Associate Professor, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, ReLIXER is “highly dosage efficient and provides long-term rejuvenation for sustainable infrastructure projects.” The focus on sustainability is also at the center of upcoming field trials of ReLIXER in Australia. Trials in Queensland involving high-RAP mixes dosed with the asphalt rejuvenator are currently being evaluated for durability.
Read the full article to learn more about how ReLIXER is helping the Australian paving industry innovate with sustainability in mind.
