Asphalt plants produce hot asphalt mixes used for paving roads, parking lots, and airport runways. They combine aggregate base materials with sticky bitumen to create a slurry that remains workable until set. Two types of plants exist: batch heating and continuous. Insulated silos and advanced technologies minimize noise and pollution, but protests still occur.
An asphalt plant is a plant that produces hot asphalt paving mixes. This hot asphalt is then transported to local construction sites, where it is used to pave roads, parking lots and airport runways. Although these structures have long been considered a threat to the environment due to the pollution they produce, the demand for asphalt pavement remains strong around the world.
Asphalt paving is made using a base of loose gravel, or aggregate, which is mixed with finer gravel and sand. Asphalt mix itself is made of a tar-like goo that is generally derived from petroleum byproducts. An asphalt plant combines aggregate base materials with sticky aggregate bitumen which acts as a binding agent. By mixing and shipping this product at high temperatures, the plants ensure that the slurry remains soft and workable until it has been set on roadbeds or other surfaces.
An asphalt plant can take one of two distinct forms, differing in production rates and production techniques. The smaller of the two is a bath heating plant, which produces a single bath of hot asphalt mix at a time. In this type of asphalt plant, the aggregate and hot asphalt mix is poured into a mixing drum, then hauled directly onto trucks for delivery to the construction site. In a continuous asphalt plant, the gravel and asphalt mix is automatically fed into the mixing drum, then deposited directly into a storage bin to make room for the next batch. Continuous asphalt plants continue to produce asphalt, and hot mixes are pulled from the storage unit as needed.
Historically, an asphalt plant only had the capability to use a batch production technique. This was due to a lack of technology that could be used to keep the asphalt at the correct temperature until it was ready for use. Today, new materials and technologies allow asphalt to be stored at the desired temperature for several days until it is needed. This is achieved through the use of insulated silos, which may contain integrated heating systems.
The introduction of a new asphalt plant is often met with protests and complaints from members of the local community. This is mainly due to the dirt, pollution and noise traditionally associated with these plants. Today, an asphalt plant is often equipped with advanced technologies to minimize noise and pollution. For example, washing systems in chimneys prevent the release of pollutants into the air. Special bag filters, or dust collectors, eliminate the black and sooty clouds that were often emitted by these plants.
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