Boral has launched an Australian-first proprietary crumbed rubber asphalt bitumen that replaces common crumbed rubber with that from Off the Road (OTR) tyres used by heavy-duty industrial vehicles. The alternative asphalt mix has a higher cracking resistance and extends the life of pavements by up to two times that of conventional road treatment.

OTR tyres are designed for demanding conditions and to support heavy machinery used in construction, manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and aviation industries. Tyres range in size from less than 20cm for a forklift tyre with a rim to nearly two metres for a mining dump truck tyre.

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Boral’s high-binder crumbed rubber asphalt surfacing uses end-of-life OTR tyres sourced from front-end loaders and quarry haul dump truck vehicles from Boral sites. Crumbed rubber in asphalt can prolong the life of pavements due to its anti-oxidation properties; oxidation from UV is the primary failure mode of residential roads. Approximately two-thirds of an OTR tyre is recovered for Boral’s crumbed rubber mix, equating to approximately 400 kilograms per tyre.

The new product comes six months after Boral’s involvement in an Australian Flexible Pavement Association (AfPA)-funded project with Tyre Stewardship Australia, which aimed to find the optimum OTR-derived asphalt mix to create more sustainable and resilient roads. Boral then partnered with Sunshine Coast Council to conduct a road demonstration across three sites to measure against different traffic conditions: Railway Parade in Glass House Mountains, Spalls Road in Diddillibah, and Perlan Street in Nambour.

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Boral paved 7000sqm of local roads using 10,000 kilograms of OTR-derived crumbed rubber sourced from vehicles at Boral’s West Burleigh Quarry, equivalent to 25 large earthmover tyres. This road demonstration marked the first-known use in Australia of OTR tyres in asphalt mix.

Boral’s OTR-derived crumbed rubber asphalt provides increased road performance and longevity, benefiting customers and road-users alike. There is a significant reduction in maintenance such as crack sealing and patching during the lifecycle of the road, which minimises cost and disruption to the community. The product also provides broader sustainability and emission-reduction benefits.

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Richard Pearson, Executive General Manager Asphalt at Boral, says: “We are pleased to be leaders in construction material innovation and bring to market our high-binder crumb rubber asphalt surfacing derived from Off the Road tyres. Finding ways to be more sustainable and drive a more circular economy is central to what we do at Boral.”

“Our successful engagement with Sunshine Coast Council, AfPA and Tyre Stewardship Australia led to the creation of this new product that will provide increased circularity benefits to the community – diverting tyres away from landfill and into new recycled products. Our operations will also benefit from reduced emissions from asphalt manufacturing and the reuse of end-of-life OTR and truck tyres from Boral sites.

“We look forward to seeing the building and construction industry continue to innovate. We welcome more councils and all levels of government to embed recycled materials into their projects, including the use of crumbed rubber asphalt roads.”

Architecture & Design Team

Boral

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