Innovation
Reducing costs and saving CO2 with EcoFlakes
In around a third of the roads built in Germany, the asphalt binder bitumen contains additional plastics (technical term: polymer-modified bitumen). The reason for this is that these plastics make the roads more resilient and durable. However, this also has a major disadvantage: across the entire supply chain, asphalt with polymer-modified bitumen produces around 20 percent more CO2. For every tonne of asphalt, this is equivalent to driving around the entire Berlin ring road by car.
Ecoflakes as a solution
Throughout Europe, more than 19 million tons of plastics are not recycled every year, but simply incinerated. Ecopals, together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology and the University of Kassel, has therefore developed a process to modify previously unrecycled plastics so that they can be used in asphalt. This saves CO2 because new plastics no longer have to be produced to make the asphalt more stable. At the same time, less plastic waste is incinerated.
Plastic recycling - the added value of Ecoflakes
Around 65 percent of recycled plastic in Europe is currently simply incinerated - with high CO2 emissions. The reason for this is that plastics can only be recycled cheaply if the individual types of plastic are cleanly separated (technical term: at least 98 percent pure granulate). With around two thirds of the plastic recyclate produced, it is currently too time-consuming or too expensive to separate the materials accordingly. Ecopals has therefore deliberately developed the Ecoflakes in such a way that they are made from a combination of different plastics. This combination can be extracted relatively easily from the part of our plastic waste that has not yet been recycled.
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In order for the strict regulations to allow use in Germany, our aim in product development was to develop an exactly equivalent PmB. We succeeded in doing this. In all common performance tests, for example in the context of initial tests for road construction measures that are carried out on bitumen or ready-mixed asphalt, EcoFlakes are within the specified tolerance ranges.
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If you are interested in our test results and technical information, please contact us using the contact form below or directly on LinkedIn.
Pilot projects thanks to partnerships
People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who actually do.
The fact that EcoFlakes are now a real alternative to virgin plastics in road construction is largely thanks to our partners and supporters. Our product development would not have been possible without the expertise and enthusiasm of the asphalt experts who have been supporting ecopals for years. The industry experts and sponsors who believed in our idea and opened doors for us have also contributed significantly to our success. Moreover, our innovation could not have been realized without the courageous clients who were prepared to break new ground and commit to greater sustainability. Special thanks also go to our partners from the recycling industry, who had the courage to try out new things, invest in innovations and commit to burning less valuable plastics.
Today, our EcoFlakes are an established technology in road construction. We would therefore like to thank our many supporters.
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