Hungary’s first mixing plant with 70 % recycled material content

Highlights of the TBA 3000 with parallel drum in Tét, Hungary

Benninghoven plant with parallel drum as a lighthouse project in Hungarian road construction

Asphalt production with a high content of recycled material, such as milled asphalt, is drawing the interest of road construction authorities and operators in more and more countries. The same also applies in Hungary. Hódút Freeway Kft. at its site in the municipality of Tét near the city of Győr has invested in a TBA 3000. The Benninghoven asphalt mixing plant is the first plant in Hungary with the proven hot recycling feed system with a parallel drum that can produce asphaltic mixtures with up to 70 % milled material. Until now, Hungarian asphalt producers typically added a maximum of 10–15 % recycling material to the mixing process.

The TBA 3000 with parallel drum is of crucial importance to the entire Hungarian road construction sector. The Benninghoven plant allows the authorities to verify how mixtures with a higher recycling content hold up in practical application. “For us, the key aspect of this investment was to think about the future. The trend is going towards an ever higher recycling content. That saves virgin mineral while avoiding waste, and of course we like that,” says Szabolcs Rosta, Chief Engineer for Innovation at Duna Aszfalt Zrt, the parent company of Hódút Freeway Kft.

“We are honored that Hódút have placed their trust in our technology for the hot recycling premiere in Hungary,” says Steven Mac Nelly, Head of Development & Engineering at Benninghoven. And there is a good reason for that: “Benninghoven already developed the hot recycling technology of the recycling drum or parallel drum for 70 % recycling content to maturity many years ago.”

The new Benninghoven plant in Tét is already the fourth one operated by Hódút. “This is in large part due to how much we appreciate the good customer service provided by Benninghoven and the entire Wirtgen Group. We have a fixed contact who always reacts to our issues promptly and is a great partner when we need spare parts or support,” says András Matvon, Chief Engineer.

Additional cold recycling feed system with multi-variable feed on board

In addition to a separate parallel drum for heating the recycling material, the TBA 3000 also integrates the cold recycling technology with multi-variable feed. This allows Hódút to add up to 40 % of asphalt directly into the mixer cold. “This increases our flexibility. For formulations with a relatively low recycling content, we use the multi-variable feed and save energy,” says Zsolt Surnyák. Base materials with a high fine particle content are dosed into the mixing process through the multi-variable feed. That means they cannot clog up the parallel drum. This hot recycling feed system will be used whenever larger volumes with a high content of recycling material have to be produced.

Benninghoven transfers recycling know-how

Hódút has been working intensively in the field of hot recycling for a number of years. The decision to use recycling technology, which makes the construction company a pioneer in Hungary, was carefully prepared by the management at Hódút together with their contacts at the Wirtgen Group. “Before anything else, we wanted to have an exchange on asphalt production with a parallel drum. Benninghoven made that possible,” explains Szabolcs Rosta, from the largest Hungarian construction company Duna Aszfalt. Hódút employees shadowed the production at two plant sites in Bavaria over the course of three days. The Hódút delegation were able to clarify a great number of questions at the Benninghoven customers Karl Bachl GmbH & Co. KG in Wotzdorf and Grossmann Bau GmbH & Co. KG in Söchtenau.

This was particularly valuable because there is still very little experience with hot recycling technologies in road construction in Hungary. In Germany, on the other hand, this manufacturing process has been long established. “We really benefited from the exchange with the owners and users in Bavaria. Everyone involved was happy to share their great store of knowledge with us,” says András Matvon. One key training aspect was recycling management, i.e. procuring milled material from refurbishment projects, correctly storing the materials with a roof for protection against moisture and handling the reclaimed asphalt in the plant.

Product trainers from Benninghoven had established the contacts and accompanied the team from Hódút to Bavaria, where they trained the Hungarian team extensively. “They instructed us in all the special aspects that have to be taken into account for hot recycling of reclaimed asphalt,” says Zsolt Surnyák. “Our partners showed us everything from storing the milled material and establishing formulations with the recycling generator in the Benninghoven control unit to servicing the recycling section. That has enabled us to work with our new TBA 3000 with parallel drum successfully from the outset, which was very important to us. In addition, we were able to experience the cooperative spirit of the Wirtgen Group first hand. The high level of reliability played an important role in our decision to purchase the Benninghoven plant.”

TBA 3000 delivers recycling mixtures for a motorway construction site

Hódút has selected the site in Tét strategically so that the Benninghoven multi-variable system and, it is assumed, also the hot recycling feed system is utilized to its full capacity and can be tested from the outset. It is here, near the town of Győr in northwestern Hungary, that the M 83 motorway is currently under construction. The road construction company has been awarded the contract for the construction of a new section of the new motorway and for the refurbishment of the carriageway of the old section of the M 83. The M 1 motorway, which connects the capital Budapest with Győr and Vienna, also runs near the asphalt mixing plant. There are plans to renovate and expand this connection as well, with the asphalt mixing plant with parallel drum potentially playing a role. In any case, Hódút Freeway Kft. is preparing full steam ahead for future projects and will be able to incorporate 40–60 % recycled material into the mixing process.