KURZ event on rubber asphalt test site

Wendlingen/Landau, 9 August 2019 - Kurz Karkassenhandel invited visitors to its rubber asphalt test site in Wendlingen and over 70 interested parties accepted the invitation - not just from Baden-Württemberg, but from all over Germany. A Russian delegation of experts also took the opportunity to take a close look at the technology that Kurz has developed together with Evonik, A. Waggershauser, Viastab and PTM Dortmund.

The guests were impressed by the wealth of tasks that a certified waste tyre disposal company has to deal with. Kurz disposes of around 60,000 tonnes of used tyres per year. At the Wendlingen site alone, this means that 25 - 40 tonnes are unloaded every day (one tonne corresponds to around 110 car tyres). If these tyres are not allocated to the various sales channels as quickly as possible, chaos ensues in no time at all. This means sorting car and commercial vehicle tyres and classifying them separately into the different qualities - always depending on the residual tread, tyre size and general condition. Each tyre must be inspected and assigned to the disposal routes. While tyres are unloaded at one point, they are loaded at another. The aim is for as many tyres to go out every day as come in.

Changing recycling routes

Saleable goods for further use and good carcasses for retreading are sold, while tyres that are no longer roadworthy are granulated or thermally recycled in cement plants. "But the sales channels are changing. In the last two years, German cement works have reduced their purchase by around 30% and more than doubled their prices in the same time," explains Hanna Schöberl, Managing Partner of Kurz Karkassenhandel. "That's why we decided to break new ground." Karl Kurz, the founder of Kurz - now 86 years old - is committed to supporting his granddaughter in this endeavour. He, one of the first professional waste tyre disposal companies, was committed to environmentally conscious disposal right from the start. He has been concerned about the use of rubber dust in asphalt for more than a decade. He knows that the technology is mature and that rubber-modified asphalt is better than "standard asphalt" in almost all properties. Kurz has now proven with the test site that it is also easy to process and lay. The more than 70 guests from various industries were able to see this for themselves. They included road builders, asphalt processors, granulators, representatives of local authorities, the tyre industry and Stuttgart Airport, various companies from the region, associations and, of course, representatives of the press and media.

Rubberised asphalt ecological and Economically sensible

Frank Lindner, Business Manager at Evonik, is impressed: "Once again, SMEs are making a major contribution to important issues! With Kurz Karkassenhandel, the technologically complex extraction of rubber flours from truck tyres, and Waggershauser, with its expertise in road construction, two industries are pooling their skills and testing a new concept for the production of highly durable, long-lasting asphalt construction methods. Our product VESTENAMER® makes a decisive contribution to overcoming traditional hurdles in the production and processing of rubber asphalt. This creates opportunities for the administration to successfully meet increasing demands on quality and sustainability." Lindner was accompanied by a delegation of experts from Belarus - including representatives from the renowned asphalt institute BeldorNII - who were impressed by the implementation and results on site. The decisive factor here is that the concept trialled by Kurz Karkassenhandel and Waggershauser stands out positively from comparable asphalt mixes in terms of production, transport and workability and promises outstanding properties. The resulting longevity in terms of quality should not only conserve resources, but also result in comfortable and safe use over a longer period of time. Reports from the scientific monitoring of the construction project are expected in the coming weeks.

Nevertheless, in Germany, in contrast to other European countries (Belgium, Italy) or countries such as the USA or Australia, roads with mastic asphalt or even motorways with a concrete surface continue to be built. This is all the more incomprehensible as the concrete pavement is much noisier and, especially in the recent hot summers, threatens to crack and form dangerous "blow-ups". What's more, the concrete pavement takes 28 days to dry. 28 days during which the construction site has to be shut down and traffic continues to build up in the narrowed lanes. In comparison, rubberised asphalt only requires a rest period of 2 days at outside temperatures of around 20 degrees.

The discussion among the experts at the short event very quickly went in one direction: the authorities responsible for road construction must recognise the advantages of rubber asphalt and then implement them. Very quickly, there would be fewer roadworks and fewer road accidents: The bottom line: more road safety and a reduction in economic damage (traffic jams and accidents), which can hardly be quantified.

"We need to arouse the interest of other companies," says Mathias Waggershauser, "We see two advantages of rubberised asphalt: the durability and the stability of rubberised asphalt, especially in hot and cold conditions." The company, which is located in close proximity to Kurz, wants to expand its business with rubberised asphalt, partly because Managing Director Mathias Waggershauser wants to build in an ecologically and economically sensible way. "It's great if we can reuse and recycle the rubber tyres in a sensible way and thus upgrade the asphalt."

About Kurz Karkassenhandel GmbH

Kurz Karkassenhandel GmbH is a certified specialist disposal company and has been involved in the professional disposal of all types of used tyres since it was founded in 1955. The company maintains and utilises long-standing national and international contacts. In 2015, the company celebrated its 60th anniversary. All information and contact details about Kurz can be found on the Kurz Karkassenhandel website. Further information: Kurz-karkassenhandel.de