Commissioning of the first hot-gas generator in France

The Lingenheld Group is a large French construction company that wants to run a sustainable and CO₂ neutral operation. A new Benninghoven asphalt mixing plant, equipped with the first hot-gas generator in France, has been providing a substantial contribution to this for some time. Thanks to this technology, Lingenheld can recycle 90 +X % asphalt while significantly reducing emissions.

The digitally planned plant was approved based on a realistic three-dimensional visualisation that took all conditions of the site into account, providing the decision makers with a clear information basis.

Benninghoven delivers added value even before the start:

3D visualisation offers a clear picture.

Lingenheld invests in green technology

The commitment to sustainability of the Lingenheld Group manifests itself in a variety of different ways. The company from the Alsace region invested in electric cars for its employees, for example, and fully offsets its CO₂ emissions by planting trees. In addition to road construction, Lingenheld also offers different specialised services, such as renovating buildings and terrain that is contaminated with harmful substances.

The company is also moving forward in its asphalt production division and invests in environmentally friendly recycling technology from Benninghoven: Lingenheld has purchased an asphalt mixing plant type TBA 4000 with hot-gas generator. The leading recycling technology in the market can turn up to 90 +X % of reclaimed asphalt into new asphaltic mixture while reducing emissions, in particular total carbon (TC). To also meet the high requirements for low-dust operation, a powerful Benninghoven filter system with an output of 90,000 Nm³/h removes the majority of the generated dust.

In addition, the TBA 4000 substantially increases the performance. The 320 t of asphalt that Lingenfeld can now produce and deliver per hour are double of what the old plant was capable of. The 130 t hot bin section and the 341 t loading silo with four bins (plus 13 t direct loading) are accordingly large, allowing Lingenheld to store and supply large and small quantities of asphalt. The option of implementing a variety of different recipes ensures numerous feed options. Additives, granulate and adhesives can be dosed directly into the mixing process. This means that nothing stands in the way of achieving the target of producing 100,000 t of all types of high-quality asphaltic mixture per year.

First hot-gas generator in France

The hot-gas generator was an important aspect for investing in Benninghoven technology. That is because this technology not only advances Lingenheld in terms of low-emission operation, it also pays off. The option of implementing such a high recycling content of 90 +X % is unique in the market. Lingenheld was the first customer in France to discover this advantage for itself. “We are expecting a lot from our new Benninghoven plant. It makes it really easy to use our reclaimed materials as a raw material for new mixtures,” says Sebastien Wolff, Head of Technology and Industry at Groupe Lingenheld. “We have to use a lot less of the relatively expensive virgin mineral. The use of recycling material is consequently also extremely lucrative.”

With a view to the market requirements in France, the company is following the trend with Benninghoven technology. Asphalt production with high recycling content is on the rise here. The multi-variable feed – a technology for gentle feeding of reclaimed asphalt without heating – can already handle a recycling content of 40 %. This cold feed process is established in the French market and the Benninghoven solution already exceeds the recycling rates of many competitors. But asphalt can be produced even more sustainably with the leading hot feed system from Benninghoven – the hot-gas generator. Heating the reclaimed asphalt indirectly with hot gas using the counterflow principle establishes a uniform temperature level throughout the entire plant, as no plant components have to be run while overheated.

Benninghoven plant defines the state of the art of recycling technology

The process is made possible by using the Benninghoven hot-gas generator: While the recycling material containing bitumen would “burn” with direct firing, the hot-gas generator only heats its indirectly to gently bring it up to the optimum application temperature. At the same time, the process reduces emissions to a low level – in Germany, for example, below the limits specified by the TA Luft directive. This is possible because most of the hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas flow are burned off as well. Optionally, the continuous emissions measurement at the stack of the plant proves that the limits are not exceeded at any time. In particular with a view to the ever stricter requirements and limits, this is an immense advantage.

Precision work from the most modern production facility for asphalt mixing plants

The new TBA 4000 plant was installed in Alsace in such a way that as little production time as possible was lost. This meant that the old plant had to continue operating while the Benninghoven installers erected the new TBA directly next to it. The tight space and the traffic with the asphalt lorries presented a great challenge. The precise planning provided the foundation for a perfectly timed arrival of the container modules for the TBA. After all, TBA is the German abbreviation for “transportable Benninghoven plant” – and it is all in the name: The product brand of the Wirtgen Group manufactures the worldwide popular asphalt mixing plants at the new factory in Wittlich, the most modern production facility of its kind. Here, Benninghoven can address a variety of different market requirements and customer requests and deliver the plants right on schedule.

The committed advisers use 3D visualisation to support their customers in advance with gaining an exact picture of the finished state and comparing it to the current state. “This is a great help,” emphasises Alexandre Richard, Area Sales Manager Benninghoven at the Wirtgen Group in France. “With the 3D modelling, Benninghoven shows that the use of state-of-the-art technologies also meets the promise of ‘Close to our customers’.”