Directa Plus (LON:DCTA) and Italian group Iterchimica are to launch a new form of road asphalt enhanced by graphene.
Called Eco Pave, Directa Plus believes the new product can significantly improve the durability and sustainability of asphalt road surfaces.
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G+, Directa’s graphene additive, is highly thermally conductive and will make the asphalt less susceptible to cracking in cold weather or softening in the heat.
Road surfaces built with asphalt containing Eco Pave can also be recycled with all the material potentially available to be re-used as a new pavement.
This avoids the expense of landfilling of used bitumen.
Giulio Cesareo, Directa Plus’s chief executive, said: "Asphalt enhanced with Graphene Plus is another development in terms of sustainability, which is a value that we at Directa Plus have firmly believed in from the very beginning.”
Large saving on road maintenance forecast
Iterchimica specialises in the manufacture and supply of asphalt and will conduct a pilot with Eco Pave applied to several kilometres of road surface.
Directa Plus anticipates receiving an initial order for G+ before the year-end for the test.
Iterchimica estimates that the addition of Eco Pave will extend the life of an asphalt road surface from the current average of 6-7 years to 12-14 years and significantly reduce maintenance costs for local administrations.
Federica Giannattasio, Iterchimica’s chief executive, said: "We were the first to create cold patch asphalts, and the first to create additives to recycle asphalts and to extend pavement life.
“This super-additive containing Graphene Plus demonstrates that it is possible to create sustainable and highly-performant road surfaces.
“The next step is to partner with an organisation that manages and builds roads to create the test routes that will validate the performance benefits of Eco Pave."