Flagship project in São Paulo is revolutionizing the Brazilian asphalt market

Pioneer and visionary: Usicity, a subsidiary of CITYS and construction and infrastructure giant Turita Holding Group, is the first company in the Southern Hemisphere to commission an RPP 4000 HG from Benninghoven, about 30 km from downtown São Paulo. With this step, the company is setting a milestone to mark a whole new era in Brazilian asphalt production, choosing a pioneering technology that achieves the highest ratio of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and promoting reuse over disposal while significantly reducing CO₂ emissions. All this results directly in high-quality asphalt mixtures that meet all the requirements for road construction.

New ground for asphalt production

The use of RAP (hot recycling) in Brazil is still in its infancy. Reclaimed asphalt is often classified as hazardous waste and is usually not returned to the production cycle. Even though the market is increasingly demanding sustainable solutions, the communities and private concessions still have reservations about using mixtures with a high proportion of RAP. Usicity is committed to eliminating this bias and has adopted international best practices to strengthen the industry’s confidence in recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and to trigger a rethink. The stationary batch plant from Benninghoven is playing a key role in this strategy. Up to 100% RAP ratio with high production capacities make the RPP 4000 HG particularly sustainable and economical to operate. In addition, it can produce highly specialized mixtures – for technically complex applications such as highways and airports, but also for conventional roads, public transportation depots and more.

Ambitious targets

The RPP makes all the difference: Its innovative technology makes it ideal for the South American company to achieve their ambitious targets, which would not have been possible with the previous plant: Up to 1 million tons of high quality asphalt is set to be produced for the around 17,000 km of roads and intra-urban transport routes and for the 1,059 km of highways in Greater São Paulo – an enormous potential market and six times the annual production volume of a plant in Germany. In terms of infrastructure, conditions are ideal for this project: The quarry of partner company Riuma and a large RAP storage area are located directly next to the plant.

Partnership and innovative thinking are making the change possible

Nothing gets done without commitment and strong partners. The excellent and close collaboration with Ciber and Benninghoven was a key factor of success from the start. There has been a close business connection with Ciber via the Turita Holding Group for many years, also leading to initial contact with Benninghoven.

The Bauma 2022 exhibition offered the Brazilian company the opportunity to tour several reference plants in Germany before committing to the investment, including at Knäble in Biberach. The focus was not only on the operation and strong innovation of the plant, but also on after sales service, training and technical support.

Once the decision to purchase was made, everything went smoothly and quickly,with employees receiving in-depth training well in advance. The training focused on the BLS 4 control system, including the recipe generator – two key components for safely and efficiently running the plant. Installation and commissioning were managed by experienced Benninghoven supervisor Karl-Heinz Würges with the local team. This means that any mechanical adjustment can be done by the local plant personnel in the future. Technical issues relating to the control system, such as the burner and automation, are handled by Ciber for first level support or remotely by Benninghoven in Wittlich, Germany. As the icing on the cake, Usicity was also provided with an extensive spare parts package of genuine parts, which are stored directly next to the plant.

Contact with Benninghoven is ongoing, including after commissioning. While the RPP plant type has long been standard in Germany and Western Europe, it is still a novelty in Brazil and all the experience being garnered is deliberately getting very close support – on the principle of being “Close to our customers”.

Investing in the “green” future of Brazil

By using RAP, low-emissions processes and sustainable production methods, Usicity is systematically pursuing the objective of establishing “green asphalt” in Latin America. With the RPP 4000 HG, the company is already perfectly positioned for the future. Usicity can deliver the required high production capacities, can easily achieve an increasing RAP ratio – which is currently still low – and is already meeting the emissions standards of the next 30 years thanks to the state-of-the-art hot gas generator technology.

Usicity is now planning to make another key green investment with the deployment of hydrogen as a burner fuel. Hydrogen is 100% emissions-free, ideal for the heating process thanks to its high energy density and currently the most sustainable fuel available. Once again, Benninghoven is the ideal partner for this step. The world’s first generation of burners that run on up to 100% green hydrogen has been available as a standard product since April 2025, delivering another crucial drive forward for asphalt production in terms of sustainability. The technology can be used as a Retrofit solution for existing asphalt mixing plants, meaning that the Brazilian company can change over at any time.

Role model and pioneer for South America

Usicity has made its vision for the South American region a reality. The new plant exceeds all expectations, proving that high-performance asphalt production with state-of-the-art recycling technology is setting new standards in terms of quality and efficiency. This was and is a bold step in a market that still needs convincing. But it is also a step that is setting an example for the entire industry.