The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the American National Centre for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) to provide road workers with the necessary training and recycling workshops, as well as research collaboration and knowledge transfer on the latest recycling technologies.
The MoU was signed by Saad bin Ahmed al-Mohannadi, president of Ashghal, and Dr Randy West, director of NCAT, on the sidelines of the ‘Fourth Road Recycling Workshop’, to strengthen the framework of environmental sustainability, preserve the natural resources of the state and reduce the cost of projects.
Al-Mohannadi said Ashghal has launched an initiative to use recycled materials in its projects in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and National Development Strategy 2017-2022. The initiative was kicked off in January under the supervision of the Ashghal Research and Development Centre under the Quality and Safety Department, to use recycled asphalt in the Izghawa area as part of a road maintenance project.
He noted, “Projects in the country need about 2mn tonnes per month of aggregates, most of which are obtained through imports, while there are about 80mn tonnes of construction and drilling waste at the Rawdat Rashed landfill, which is an environmental and logistic challenge in the country.”
He added Ashghal is working on another pilot project in the coming period for the use of recycled materials from construction waste at the Rawdat Rashed landfill in a local road project. Asphalt recycling initiatives and their use in Ashghal projects contribute to the direct reduction in the cost of construction materials from rubble and bitumen, up to 17%, without indirect expenses such as import, transport and other costs.
Khalid al-Emadi, manager of the Quality and Safety Department at Ashghal, said the workshop comes within the initiative of Ashghal to recycle its project materials in general and to recycle asphalt layers as well as construction waste and to use iron slag, tyres and other materials in the implementation of its projects in particular.
Al-Emadi continued, “Ashghal has developed an action plan in order to implement effective schemes to reduce costs, preserve the environment and sustain the authority’s projects. In co-operation with many entities, Ashghal conducted research studies for the reuse of building materials, which proved their economic and practical feasibility and verified that they are consistent with the requirements of specifications and conditions of the state.”
The Quality and Safety Department has incorporated recycling in Qatar Construction Standards 2018 in a wider manner in support of the ambitious projects that Ashghal is seeking to implement. A specialised team in the field of material recycling has also been set up from local and international expertise and the Ashghal Research and Development Centre has been equipped with all the advanced equipment needed in this field to support all projects and proposals in this regard.
On his part, Dr Othman al-Hussain, senior quality engineer at Ashghal, said the authority’s initiative to recycle asphalt materials and reuse them in road works is the first of successful experiments through which Ashghal seeks to achieve one of the most important pillars of the National Strategy 2017-2022, which is Environmental Sustainability. The Quality and Safety Department has already successfully started its first experiment in asphalt recycling and using it in re-paving in the Izghawa area.
The authority will also recycle dirt layers by using demolition waste from Rawdat Rashed in road works in the Al Wakrah area, in addition to several future projects. Dr al-Hussain added that through co-operation with the NCAT, which has significant experience in recycling in the US, a large number of technicians and employees will be trained to achieve the required results and transfer the highest technology in recycling to Qatar.
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