Australian Race Track Paved With Carbonphalt

The 1.35 mile race track at the Norwell Motorplex in Queensland Australia was recently paved with a new type of asphalt product made with carbon char derived from thermally treated scrap tires.

The powdered carbon char used an ingredient in Carbonphalt consists of 75 per cent pure carbon and is made during a thermal treatment process for scrap tires, according to its developer Pearl Global.

The thermal manufacturing process now in operation at the company’s plant in Stapylton, Australia, breaks down scrap tires to produce carbon char, recyclable steel and a fuel oil product.

Pearl Global’s Gold Coast facility can process all size tires including car, light truck, medium truck and large mining tires.

The plant will have capacity to recycle more than two million tires when running at full capacity, the company said.

Pearl Global partnered with Queensland-based Austek Asphalt Production to develop the Carbonphalt surfacing and other products using the materials derived from end-of-life tires.

Austek adds the carbon char to its aggregate mix to create the partnership’s branded Zeroad asphalt products. Pearl also recovers fuel from waste tires and this fuel is being used to run Austek’s asphalt plant.

Paul Morris, Norwell Motoplex owner and former competitive driver called Carbonphalt “ a fantastic new product” and said he is keen to see Zeroad used in racing circuits.

For their first project at Norwell Motorplex, a race driver training and education complex, the companies used 2,500 metric tons of Carbonphalt, recycling about 25,000 tires in the process, they said.

Carbonphalt costs marginally more than conventional asphalt, offers superior durability, improved stiffness and increased scuffing resistance, the company said. About 10 vehicle tires are used for every metric ton of Carbonphalt produced.

The Pearl Global / Austek Asphalt partnership has also created a second product called Carbonmastic, another form of asphalt that can be applied in thinner layers from 20 to 50 millimeters (three-quarters of an inch to two inches). This means that it can be overlaid on surfaces where cracking and minor deformation has occurred to prevent further damage and greatly increase pavement life.

© Scrap Tire News, January 2021