Asphalt Recycling System Sees Good Opportunities

The ability to recycle strip off old asphalt, grind it up, recycle it and then reuse it all in one process is the opportunity afforded by an asphalt recycling system manufactured by Cleveland, Ohio-based Angelo Benedetti Inc.

The company, which had provided the process to cities, only recently has switched its operations to manufacture the systems to municipalities, as well as private companies, who are looking for a low cost method to recycle the asphalt directly on site with essentially no material to be wasted.

The company presently has a system in operation in Akron, Ohio, and has been in discussions with representatives from a number of other cities throughout the country, said Angelo Benedetti, owner of the company, which has been in business for around 50 years.

The company’s asphalt recycling system uses what Benedetti calls a Re-Heat system (Recycle Hot Emulsion Asphalt Treatment) that allows the user of the equipment to recycle 100 percent of the old asphalt in place.

Benedetti notes that while the system costs around $2 million, the savings that can be achieved with the system more than make up for the upfront costs. “The cost of doing this is saving a city around 50 percent.”

Benedetti also notes that 100 percent of the system is made in the United States, including the steel used for the systems.

The system includes a preheater that runs in front. This part heats the existing asphalt to around 400 degrees. Following that, the recycler pulls up the top parts of the asphalt, grinds it up, heats it, injects oil-based emulsifiers and then places it back on the road.

According to the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, the cost to repave with the asphalt is around $100,000 a mile in Akron, while the cost to pave without this process in Pittsburgh is around $300,000 per mile.