Welsh-based Vertech Ltd has turned 50 tons of waste plastics into a record 90′ thermoplastic road bridge suitable for heavy goods vehicles
in the UK, the material company stated in a recent press release.
Vertech partnered with local roads and bridges management company Dawyck Estates, specialized bridge designer Cass Hayward LLP, Cardiff University’s School of Engineering, Rutgers University’s Center for Advanced Materials via Immiscible Polymer Processing (AMIPP) and Axion International, with support from the Welsh Assembly Government to execute the project.
The bridge, spans the River Tweed at Easter Dawyck in Peeblesshire and forms part of the historic John Buchan Way. It was built off-site and assembled in just four days by a team from Glendinning Groundworks Ltd, a local Peeblesshire contractor, and 10 Field Squardron (Air Support), Royal Engineers. Vertech said the plastics bridge won’t rust, requires no painting or regular maintenance, and is 100% recyclable.
William Mainwaring, co-founder and CEO of Vertech Limited said, “We shouldn’t be sending so much of the UK’s waste plastics to landfill nor should we be shipping it to China. With this unique technology we can now recycle it ourselves to produce increasingly sought after high quality and sustainable construction materials for the European market.”
Professor Robert Lark Deputy Director Cardiff University School of Engineering said that “This initiative has the potential to deliver durable, low maintenance alternatives to traditional structures manufactured from recycled waste.”
Professor Tom Nosker, R&D 100 Award winner and Professor at Rutgers University, added, “This bridge is the most beautiful I have worked on, and it went up in less than two weeks, which has to be some kind of a record for a 90′ road bridge.”
According to the release, Vertech will be manufacturing sheet materials using the same technology for use by the European construction sector as a replacement for less environmentally friendly engineered timber, plywood, MDF and laminates. The company plans to open a manufacturing facility next year, in North Wales to manufacture its thermoplastic composite materials for the European Market.
Source : www.adsalecprj.com
