Misturas, asphalt paver of the EXTRACO group, continues with the Emulcell R & D project to develop new improved and environmentally sustainable bituminous emulsions in the cold.

 

Emulcell investigates the use of different types of nanocelluloses as emulsifiers for the stabilization of bituminous mixtures in cold, in order to reduce their manufacturing cost and minimize the environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of this type of mixtures.

 

 

Misturas has just started the second milestone of the Emulcell R & D project, in which he has been working since July 2017, to develop new bituminous emulsions through the use of nanocelluloses, with the aim of obtaining improved asphalt mixes in the cold and environmentally sustainable.

The first milestone of the project was developed until last December, with the definition of needs, technical requirements and the design and development of the formulas for the new mixtures. The second milestone, initiated in January 2019, seeks to optimize them, analyzing the results obtained and improving them. Subsequently, the scaling and application on site will be carried out with the construction of a test section.

 

CETIM Technological Centre develops formulations of interest for Misturas, its characterization in comparison with commercial emulsions, optimization of new formulations, the support in the scaling of their manufacture and planting, as well as technical, economic and environmental analysis of the developed solutions. The University of A Coruña also collaborates in the project, through the Roads, Geotechnics and Materials Group (CGM for its acronym in Spanish) of the Civil Engineering High Technique School. It also has the support of the consultancy Euro-funding International.

 

This R&D initiative has great potential in the field of road construction, due to the high number of secondary roads susceptible to being paved with this type of mixtures and the environmental benefits derived from the reduction of energy consumption during its manufacturing.

 

The Emulcell project is co-financed by the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Ref IDI-20171097), with a budget of € 568,912.