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Victoria driving ahead to trial asphalt using recycled tyres in a main road

By intouch * posted 19-09-2019 13:12

  

A trial will soon begin using rubber from old tyres in the asphalt of a busy Melbourne road.

A contract signed between Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), and the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) on September 12 marks the beginning of this vital research. The project will be co-funded by TSA, the Victorian Department of Transport and ARRB.

“Rubber is routinely used in rural road surfacing in Victoria. The aim of this project is to increase the opportunity to use crumb rubber in metropolitan roads”, said the CEO of TSA, Lina Goodman.

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The asphalt will be laid on a 1.5 km section of East Boundary Road in Bentleigh East. It will be on the southbound carriageway, between Centre Road and South Road.

“This trial is a landmark opportunity in the development of the circular economy in Australia,” said Goodman.

Tyre Stewardship Australia was formed five years ago to implement the national Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme which promotes the development of viable markets for end-of-life tyres.

Only about 10 per cent of the almost 56 million tyres discarded annually in Australia are used for beneficial product outcomes domestically. The rest are exported or disposed to landfill, stockpiled or illegally dumped.

The study will be conducted by ARRB, an independent national transport research organisation. It will trial a range of innovative asphalt mixes incorporating crumbed rubber on a key section of the road network, with performance monitored over time. The trial is the first of its kind based on the project’s scale and number of mixes being tested at the same time.

“ARRB is proud to be a supporting partner of this project which is about finding sustainable solutions to Australia’s tyre problem,” said Melissa Lyons, Senior Professional Leader at ARRB.

“ARRB’s mission is firmly focused on creating knowledge for tomorrow's transport challenges and solutions for today,” Ms Lyons said.

Lab and field testing will be conducted at regular intervals with a final report due by mid-2022.

The image to the right shows samples of bitumen with recycled tyre granules.

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