Directa Plus (DCTA) announced on Friday alongside its partner, Iterchimica, a world leader in products that enhance asphalt performance, the commencement of their UK road trial for graphene enhanced road surfaces.
According to Founder and CEO of Directa, Giulio Cesareo, the trial is considered crucial “in proving the business and use case for the next generation of graphene enhanced road surfaces.”
The trial, to take place in Curbridge, Oxfordshire, will involve laying asphalt concrete with a proprietary graphene-enhanced modifier to refurb two upper layers of a 750m long section of road.
By comparing asphalt concrete with the super modifier to a traditional asphalt surfacing, the trial will assess service life, resistance to the passage of vehicles, resistance to deformation and permanent plastic deformation.
Oxfordshire County Council has permitted the commencement of the trial, and the group’s prime contractor will be Skanska AB, a multinational construction company.
The graphene-enhanced modifier is the result of a three-year research with a patent filed in 2017 and has the potential to vastly improve the quality of road surfaces.
"This technology will allow governments to supply better quality roads for drivers and other road users, at better value for money, and in a more environmentally sustainable way,” commented Mr Cesareo.
Significantly, asphalt concrete with super modifier, once laid, can be 100% recycled, reducing the extraction of new materials from quarries and first-use bitumen.
"Working with leading companies such as Iterchemica to bring the benefits of G+ graphene enhanced products and materials to market is a key part of Directa Plus' strategy across all our key industrial verticals,” Mr Cesareo added.
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