Directa Plus PLC (AIM:DCTA, OTC:DTPKF) said Oxfordshire County Council will start its second trial of a patented asphalt concrete modifier, which is developed by Iterchimica and enhanced by the company’s Graphene Plus.
The producer and supplier of graphene nanoplatelets will see two identical stretches of road, which carry roughly 10,000 vehicles a day along a busy city route, resurfaced with different materials in its new trial.
Half of a 700-metre stretch of road will be laid with GiPave®, while the rest will be resurfaced using conventional asphalt so that the two surfaces can be compared, it said.
This second trial follows from a successful 2019 one, which showed GiPave® increases the surface lifespan by up to 70% compared with conventional methods, while the risk of rutting under heavy loads is also reduced.
GiPave® was developed by Iterchimica with the support of Directa Plus, it said, and uses waste plastic that would not normally be recycled to reduce the need for new materials and contribute towards a ‘circular economy.’
The asphalt containing GiPave® can itself be entirely recycled, the company added.
"Local, regional and national governments are increasingly focused on both value for money and reducing carbon footprints. GiPave® can improve performance and reduce environmental costs,” Giulio Cesareo, founder and chief executive, said.