At Globalvia we reflect our commitment to sustainability by launching projects that promote circularity and the responsible use of resources.
The origin of one of these projects dates back to the year 2021 in our Portuguese Transmontana Society. Every year, an average of 15 tons of milled material (RAP) is generated on our highway, a material that comes from the milling process carried out on the pavement to remove layers of existing asphalt in order to renew or resurface it.
Given this context, our team was faced with the challenge of reusing this waste generated from the maintenance work of our highway, to incorporate it in the manufacture of new asphalt mixtures for the pavements. With this objective, a collaboration arises with the University of Minho in Braga, to carry out tests and validate mixtures with RAP, and Socorpena, the supplier specialized in pavements.
In the first phase, efforts focused on developing an asphalt mixture that incorporated 30% RAP and determining whether the performance of this recycled mixture was similar to that of the original mixtures. Thus, during 2022 the first tests were carried out on a section of the road, obtaining very promising results.
In a second phase, during the year 2023, the asphalt mixture with 30% RAP was applied massively in the base layer (AC20) and a new study was carried out and subsequent testing and validation of the application of asphalt mixture with 30% RAP for a road test section, on this occasion for the pavement wearing layer (AC14).
In the third phase of this project, during the past year 2024, given the good results obtained, the massive application on the road of asphalt mixtures with 30% RAP in the base layer (AC20) continues and the University of Minho validates the mixture applied in the wearing layer (AC14). In addition, a new study is initiated for the validation of asphalt mixtures with 40% and 50% RAP for the base layer (AC20).
Throughout 2025, the application of 100% of the mixtures with 30% milled material is expected. In addition, it will be tested in a test section with AC20 40% RAP and AC14 30%, another test section with AC20 50% and AC14 30% RAP and another test section with traditional mixtures for comparison of all of them.
The implementation of this sustainable pavement project in Transmontana is obtaining very positive results that translate into the recycling of approximately 10,000 tons of milling waste for a total of 29,273 tons of pavement, between the years 2023 and 2024. It is a sustainable practice with a high potential to be scaled in other projects and regions, setting a new benchmark for sustainability in the infrastructure industry. It is also a clear example of collaboration between a private company and the academic community in the search for sustainable solutions and significant progress towards more sustainable construction practices.