European Commission R.E.F. Project

Mixlance have secured grant funding from the European Commission LIFE Environment Programme to co-finance a project that we believe will revolutionize the design of future coating plants. This is a very exciting project and we believe it will have significant impact across Europe. The project will demonstrate a new state-of-the-art, mobile, low-level modular batch-heater/ coating/recycling plant that will be environmentally friendly and energy efficient with significantly reduced noise and operating costs. To achieve these objectives our project team will design innovative filtration, control, burner and electrical systems that, combined with proven engineering standards, will be incorporated into a full-scale demonstration plant. RMC Northern will be our main partner in the project.


Problem To Be Solved

Throughout European countries, quarry and road stone producers have used traditional asphalt plant to manufacture the majority of asphalt products. Such conventional plant has limitations:

  • They are designed to produce coated products in large commercially viable quantities.
  • Changing product recipes can be more difficult and cause waste when due to the continuous nature of the process.
  • Due to the impact of high transport requirements and mobile heating, static plant creates a significant environmental footprint.
  • Operational plant requires large storage areas to maintain operational levels of feedstock.
  • Operational difficulties matching the various elements of the process may cause wastage.
  • Through an inability to modulate burners and dryers, conventional systems have high fuel consumption, wasting both electric and gas/ oil.
  • Conventional plant has higher maintenance costs.

Historically, batch heater coating plants were designed for particular applications for a small sector of the British market. This type of plant now offers a high degree of control for the production of coated roadstone, due to progressive development of production features involving additional mechanical components and updated process control systems. The advantages of batch heaters are that they:

  • Are able to produce variable quantities from 0.5 to 5.0 tonnes, on a batch-by-batch basis.
  • Are able to offer a range of 150 product mixes.
  • The plant creates a smaller environmental footprint and requires a smaller storage area.
  • More suitable for urban locations.

Like large asphalt plant, batch heater coating plant uses large motors to operate conveyors, fans and burners to heat the aggregate to the required temperature. These have high power levels and fuel consumption, exacerbated by the lack of opportunity to modulate the burners or fans when lower temperatures are required.


Project Objectives

Overall objective: to build and demonstrate an innovative industrial plant to produce asphalt coated products, which uses modern control techniques, new design equipment and filtration plant to provide major environmental benefits whilst increasing production efficiency [view objectives].

Environmental Benefits Of The Project

Reduced environmental impact due to:

  • Up to 75% reduction in power (electricity) consumption.
  • Up to 30% reduction in fuel (gas/ oil) consumption.
  • Reduced emissions to lower than 10mg/m3.
  • Increase level of recycled materials used in the process to 50%.
  • Reduction in emission from transportation heating and vehicle fuel.
  • Lower height profile of the plant.