'Green' asphalt coming to UAE

Dubai: Martec Bund Corp-oration has invested in bringing new green and cost effective asphalt technology to the UAE.

The joint venture between Canada-based Martec Recycling Corporation and Emirati contracting company Bund was formed a month ago.

Martec is an international supplier of the advanced Hot In-place Recycling (HIR) technology and the AR2000 Super Recycler trains.

Martec Bund Corporation aims to establish the HIR method in road maintenance as the most economical, effective and clean alternative to costly conventional repaving techniques.

"The GCC is an important partner. The infrastructure and roads in most of the countries in the region are constantly developing and evolving and there is a certain importance placed on the quality of the roads," Hossain Hojjat, relationship manager at Martec Bund told Gulf News.

The company, which has made an initial investment of Dh50 million is due to start its first project on a 45 kilometre stretch on Masafi road next week.

Depending on external conditions, the machine can cover around 3 kilometres per day.

Along with being environmentally friendly, other key benefits of the technology include the substantial savings cost and time that is achieved, non renewable resources such as bitumen and aggregate materials are conserved and because of the single lane repair traffic disruption is minimized and greater motorist safety is assured.

"We're glad to have the opportunity to introduce this technology to the GCC. It's a much needed technology," he said.

"It's cost effectiveness is also very beneficial, especially in today's financial climate where people are looking to spend less money where possible," Vincent Barboza, executive manager at Martec Bund told Gulf News.

In the UAE, aggregate material used for resurfacing the road is in short supply, making it a costly job.