By Mickey Cereoli
National Sales Support Manager - Landfill and Stabilization
BOMAG Americas, Inc.

It’s sound. It’s proven. And if done properly, full-depth reclamation of asphalt is just as effective as total reconstruction - but as much as half the cost.

Roughly 30 years ago, BOMAG pioneered some of the first full-depth asphalt recyclers in the road-building industry. This was not only a new piece of equipment, it was the introduction of a new concept.

The idea was intriguing enough. Instead of investing time, effort and materials in totally reconstructing an asphalt road from the ground up, full-depth asphalt recycling would permit the reuse of the previous road surface and sub-base to create a strong foundation for a new roadway.

Though recycling offered a revolutionary alternative that promised a tremendous cost savings, contractors, county engineers and state officials alike were skeptical. How could something that costs less be just as effective as the established reconstruction method? The task of selling the concept proved to be an uphill battle.

Today - 30 years later - several manufacturers have introduced asphalt recycling equipment. Though credibility has been established through education and successful applications in many states and counties, understanding the process and its benefits remains the key challenge to its acceptance as a viable road reconstruction option.

The Process
It's difficult to describe a "typical" asphalt recycling application since there are so many variables to consider. What materials currently make up the structure of the road? Is the current sub-grade satisfactory or will the road require full-depth reclamation? Does aggregate or asphalt need to be added to the mix? What about additives? All of these questions, and several others, need to be answered before recycling can take place. But there are basic steps that should be conducted with each application.

In order to improve a road through recycling, one first needs to know what materials make up the current road surface and base. This is why core sampling is the single most important step in the recycling process.

Core sampling takes place before any equipment is on site. It determines the composition of the asphalt in the road, the percentage of asphaltic concrete in the mix, the amount and type of aggregate present, as well as pinpointing any potential problems that can't be seen on the surface. Though many will claim to know enough about road construction or a particular road surface to forgo taking core samples, sampling is truly the only way to successfully determine the recycling needs. Since the success or failure of a road relies on the makeup of the base materials, such information should not be left to speculation.