History hot recycling

Hot recycling gains acceptance

From the Initial Idea to the Technology’s Breakthrough

In the mid-1970s, WIRTGEN developed a method for the economically efficient rehabilitation of damaged bituminous road surfaces. Based on the revolutionary idea to replasticize roads by means of heat, the first hot recycler was developed in 1976. That was the beginning of WIRTGEN’s success as a recycling contractor, operating their own fleet of hot recyclers. WIRTGEN perfected the “heated” process with much passion and pioneering spirit, and ever-new, successful inspirations marked the path of this innovative technology. The equation set up back then is working out just right today, when economically efficient and environmentally friendly construction methods are called for.

The first Repaver rolled off the assembly line in 1976, leading WIRTGEN’s future contracting fleet of hot recyclers. The development of the Remix process in 1979 represented a quantum leap in the quality of hot recycled asphalt road surfaces.