Warm in-plant recycling with bituminous emulsions

A new technique is presented for the recycling of flexible pavements, half-way between the two recycling techniques used until now since it takes advantage of the machinery used for hot recycling, but using a cold recycling binder. Tests have been made at laboratory scale, where good characteristics of the recycled mixes were noticed, this leading to the execution of two full scale trials, the first in a batch-type plant and the second one in a continuous plant. In both cases, the analysis of the core samples confirmed the good expectations from the laboratory data. We think we are in front of a new technique for the use of the aged asphalt mixes without the curing problems of cold recycled mixes and with the possibility of recycling 100% of the mix in plant, greatly exceeding the rate obtained with hot recycling. As for the rest of the recycling techniques, it allows energy and binder savings as well as it avoids the opening of new quarries since it uses those of the aged mix. For the covering abstract see ITRD E121480.