Wendlingen/Landau, August 09.08.2019th, 70 - Kurz Karkassenhandel invited to its rubber asphalt test site in Wendlingen and over XNUMX interested people accepted the invitation - not only from Baden-Württemberg, but from all over Germany. A Russian specialist delegation also took the opportunity to take a close look at the technology that Kurz developed together with Evonik, A.Waggershauser, Viastab and PTM Dortmund.
The guests were impressed by the wealth of tasks that a certified waste tire disposal company has to deal with. Kurz disposes of around 60.000 tons of old tires per year. At the Wendlingen site alone, this means that 25 - 40 tons are unloaded every day (one ton corresponds to around 110 car tires). If they are not assigned to the different sales channels as quickly as possible, chaos will ensue in no time. That means sorting car and commercial vehicle tires and classifying them separately into the different qualities - always depending on the remaining profile, the tire size and the general condition. Each tire must be examined and assigned to the disposal routes. While unloading at one point, loading at the other point. The goal is that every day as many tires come out as come in.
Utilization methods are changing
Goods that can be sold for further use and good carcasses for retreading go on sale, tires that are no longer drivable go to granulation or thermal recycling in cement works. “But the sales channels are changing. In the last two years, the German cement works have reduced the purchase by around 30% and at the same time have more than doubled the prices,” explains Hanna Schöberl, Managing Partner of Kurz Karkassenhandel. "That's why we decided to break new ground." Karl Kurz, the founder of Kurz, - today 86 years old - is committed to supporting his granddaughter. He, one of the first professional scrap tire disposal companies, was committed to environmentally friendly disposal right from the start. The use of rubber powder in asphalt is a concern that has been on his mind for more than a decade. He knows: the technology is mature, the rubber-modified asphalt is better than the "standard asphalt" in almost all properties. With the test site, Kurz has now proven that it is also easy to process and install. More than 70 guests from different industries were able to convince themselves of this. Road builders, asphalt processors, granulators, representatives of the municipality, the tire industry and Stuttgart Airport, various companies from the region, associations and of course representatives of the press and media were all represented.
rubber asphalt ecological and economically sensible
Frank Lindner, Business Manager at Evonik, is impressed: "Once again, medium-sized companies are making a major contribution to important issues! With Kurz Karkassenhandel, the technologically complex extraction of rubber flour from truck tires, and the Waggershauser company with its expertise in road construction, two industries are combining their skills and testing a new concept for the production of highly stable, durable asphalt construction methods. Our product VESTENAMER® makes a decisive contribution to overcoming classic hurdles in the production and processing of rubber asphalt. This creates opportunities for the administration to successfully meet increasing demands for quality and sustainability.” Lindner was accompanied by a delegation of experts from Belarus - including representatives of the renowned asphalt institute BeldorNII - who were convinced of the implementation and result on site. It is crucial that the concept tested by Kurz Karkassenhandel and Waggershauser stands out positively from comparable asphalt mixes in terms of production, transport and workability, and promises excellent 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 next few weeks.
Nevertheless, in Germany, in contrast to other European countries (Belgium, Italy) or countries such as the USA or Australia, roads are still built with mastic asphalt or the motorways are even built with concrete pavement. This is all the more incomprehensible since the concrete surface is significantly louder and, especially in the last hot summers, is in danger of tearing and dangerous "blow-ups" threatening to form. In addition, the drying time of the concrete covering is 28 days. 28 days during which the construction site has to rest and traffic continues to back up in the narrow lanes. In comparison, rubber asphalt only needs 20 days of rest at outside temperatures of around 2 degrees.
The discussion among the experts at the Kurz event very quickly went in one direction: the authorities responsible for road construction must recognize the advantages of rubber asphalt and then implement them. Very quickly there would be fewer construction sites, fewer traffic accidents: The conclusion: more road safety and a reduction in economic damage (traffic jams and accidents), which can hardly be quantified.
"The interest of other companies must be aroused," says Mathias Waggershauser, "We see two advantages of rubber asphalt: The durability and stability of the rubber asphalt, especially in heat and cold." The company, which is located in the immediate vicinity of Kurz wants to expand the rubber asphalt business, also because Managing Director Mathias Waggershauser wants to build in an ecologically and economically sensible way. "It's great if we can use and recycle the rubber tires in a sensible way and thus achieve an upgrading of the asphalt."
About Kurz Karkassenhandel GmbH
Kurz Karkassenhandel GmbH is a certified waste disposal company and has been dealing with professional waste tire disposal of all types of tires since it was founded in 1955. The company maintains and uses 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
Material
The press release as a PDF document
The press release as a Word document
Image: Guided tour of the Kurz company premises
Image: The construction of the rubber-modified test track at Kurz
Image: The construction of the rubber asphalt test site near Kurz
