NEW TECHNOLOGIES
IN ASPHALT PLANTS
By Marcelo Zubaran
As changing economic conditions and technologies combine to create new requirements for
construction and road building, so, too, are the requirements for asphalt plants changing.
N
ew demands in the paving
business, such as the production
of sustainable asphalt mixes,
more economical mixes, and
mixes with greater durability, influence the
chain of inputs, projects, and equipment.
Asphalt plants are thus evolving significantly,
having the goal of producing both traditional
and more complex mixes that require special
input (lime, cellulose fibres, and modified
asphalt) with maximum productivity,
efficiency, and economy.
Three areas that bring benefits to the quality
of the asphalt mix and/or optimisation to
the production process are: (a) control over
aggregates’ drying time; (b) fuel and energy
economy through a new combustion system;
and (c) control of the mixing time between
the aggregates and the asphalt binder.
Aggregates’ drying time
For the production of hot asphalt mixes,
the aggregates must be completely dry and
heated to obtain adhesiveness with the
An external pug mill mixer has been developed, which automatically controls the
mixing time according to the requirements of the materials and as determined by the
operator before or during production.
24 _ QUARRY SA | NOVEMBER 2017
asphalt binder and to produce a cohesive
mix with suitable properties according to
the design. It is known that aggregates are
natural materials from rock formations
whose characteristics derive from
particular phenomena of each region. Thus,
aggregates of the same origin may present
quite distinct characteristics, such as the
water absorption capacity and adhesiveness
with the asphalt binder.
Traditional plants dry and heat the
aggregates in a rotating drum, driven by