Recycled material in high temperature regions is the theme of the 3rd Seminar on Sustainable Pavements

The 3^rd Seminar on Sustainable Pavements of BR-163/MT highway gathered students, researchers and professionals in the paving and civil engineering area to discuss the use of recyclable materials in road recovery and repair works. The event was held by Rota do Oeste, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) and the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) and themed “Tecnologia + Sustentabilidade: Aproveitamento do RAP em regiões de alta temperatura” [Technology + Sustainability: Use of the RAP materials in high temperature regions].

The seminar is a milestone of the conclusion of the third stage of the research “Use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in high temperature and heavy traffic regions”, conducted by the Concessionaire together with the UFMT. Representatives from all over the country were present at the event to exchange experience in the area. They were able to see up close the results of the study developed at the company’s pavement technological control laboratory located at Rota do Oeste headquarters. Now the research follows the performance of the experimental road stretch on BR-364 highway, which has received the recycled milled material in February 2020.

On March 5, Karina Suzuki, civil engineer and studying for master’s degree in transports engineering at Universidade de São Paulo (USP), was the first speaker of the event. She addressed hot recycling with different levels of milled material and emphasized the importance of laboratory and practical tests on the highway, just like the study carried out by Rota do Oeste.

“This is a technology that has technical, economic and sustainable feasibility,” says Suzuki. She also states that in other countries the material used in repairs receives a percentage of recycled product in the mixture, causing 100% of waste to be reused at some point. “I believe that we need to start using recycled materials more, and think about environmental impact properly, just like the study carried out for BR-163/364 highway”, she says.

Regarding the performance of the mixture, the engineer explains the need to follow the path taken by the Concessionaire to evaluate the study: “Recyclable materials must be studied properly, with tests and trials, because each mixture can have a different performance. It is important to have a well-equipped and well prepared laboratory, so that the State can receive a material with good performance and that has been properly tested”, she explains.

Cínthia Santiago Sobreira, an expert in the regulation of land transports services at ANTT, explains that the Rota do Oeste’s research is part of a development policy and aims at to stimulate technological production and research. She considers the study an important gain for the State of Mato Grosso, as it is a State with development potential and wide cargo handling. She also talks about the importance of seeking repair solutions that take into consideration the environmental impact. “We believe that this will be very important to the academic community, for the development of new bodies and highway projects”, she explains.

The director of the Instituto de Engenharias (Ieng) of the UFMT – Campus of Várzea Grande, professor Ilce de Oliveira Campos, thanked Rota do Oeste for the opportunity to be in the seminar and for the gains to the UFMT. “This is one of our first projects in partnership with the private sector, and we had a great start, with great results,” she said. Regis de Bel, professor of Transports Engineering at UFMT, considers the access to a state-of-the-art laboratory a gain for the students. “I believe this was a unique opportunity for all of them,” he says.

Luiz Miranda, professor of Transports Engineering at UFMT, adds that the Pavement Seminar is a way of communicating with the academy and all those involved: “We account for our work. It is our opportunity to interact with researchers from other States and show our progress. Recycling is the key-word for the sustainable development of the country and the world. Rota do Oeste is making it possible for the State of Mato Grosso to be inserted in this scenario.

Lucas Suassuna, director of engineering and operations at Rota do Oeste, says this is the conclusion of another stage. According to him, the Concessionaire seeks to contribute to the society’s development. “Together with the UFMT, we had the opportunity to promote the development of asphalt pavements in a sustainable manner. It is good for us and for the environment, and to promote scientific research,” he explains.

Larissa Campos and Higor Peres, both students of the 8^th semester of the Transports Engineering program at UFMT, consider the experience an advantage. According to them, they had access to a complete laboratory, with new and state-of-the-art equipment. “We don’t have that in the university, and we were also able to go to the field and practice what we have learned in class. So I could see that, in fact, this is the career I want to pursue,” says Campos.

Rota do Oeste expects that, after the tests, the repair and recovery works of the pavement be done with the mixture composed by the material, composed of 30% of recycled milled material, in the entire stretch under concession, from Itiquira (km 0) to Sinop (km 855).