The Biggest Swiss Construction Company Has Set Its Focus on Green Technology

A Double Premiere in the Swiss Confederation: September 2022 saw the start of production for Switzerland’s first Benninghoven Recycling Priority Plant (RPP) – but that was not the only premiere. The new plant not far from Geneva was also the first of its kind in the country to be equipped with hot gas generator technology. Above all, the RPP 3000 Plus impressed new customer SAPA with its high RAP feed rates, low emission values, and clearly defined quality standards.

High-Tech from Benninghoven Has an Excellent Reputation in Switzerland

Benninghoven plants set reference standards in terms of technology and, in view of ever tighter environmental regulations and increasing demands on asphalt mixing plant operators to realize higher RAP feed rates, are also a cost-efficient and sustainable alternative. In 2019 alone, three plants of different types were sold to customers in Switzerland.

Until recently, our company had had no direct dealings with SAPA, so the request for information we received from Geneva in November 2019 was a more than pleasant surprise. After initial discussions and a tour of the manufacturing facilities at the state-of-the-art Benninghoven plant in Wittlich, the customer’s needs and specific requirements became clear, and we were able to define the size and type of plant that would fulfill them.

The RPP 3000 Plus HG Is the Ideal Choice

It soon became clear that a RPP 3000 Plus with hot gas generator technology would be the ideal solution for SAPA’s needs. In September 2020, we were able to offer the customer a plant of the required size with an end of service life horizon of 30 years. The concept was convincing – but not only that. Benninghoven’s high commitment to quality, working methods, clean production processes, and fast service also seriously impressed the customer.

As soon as the decision was made, everything else followed on at a rapid pace. The entire process, from the set up of the plant in March 2022 to its commissioning in September 2022, took a mere six months.

Good Reasons for Choosing the RPP 3000 Plus HG

Asphalt mixing plants in Switzerland produce an average of 60,000–80,000 t of material per year; that’s up to 40,000 t less than the production volumes in other countries. Despite this, Swiss regulations with regard to recycling, sustainability, conservation of resources, and carbon emissions are just as strict as in the rest of Europe. Asphalt mixing plants must produce qualitatively flawless mix with minimal environmental impact and set their focus on the recycling of the material – and that at every output level. The RPP 3000 Plus HG perfectly fulfills these requirements.

The RPP Also Offers High RAP Feed Rates in the Production of Smaller Batches

A minimum proportion of RAP greater than 60 % in the production process was one of the highest priorities for SAPA. A figure that the RPP 3000 Plus can easily top, as RAP feed rates of up to 100 % are no problem at all for an RPP-type asphalt mixing plant with hot gas generator technology.

Green Technology Assures Compliance with All Legal Requirements

The significant reduction of carbon and VOC emissions from the new plant was to be achieved through the high RAP feed rate, the fuels employed, and the use of hot gas generator technology. Another important factor for the new operators was full compliance with the legal requirements of the new Swiss CO₂ Act and all stipulations of the stringent Ordinance on Air Pollution Control (OAPC). The recycling drum with a hot gas generator enables compliance not only with currently applicable threshold values, but also with those of potentially even more stringent future legal requirements.

Greater Cost-Efficiency through High Plant Performance

That the customer naturally also expected a plant that achieves high productivity and cost-efficient asphalt production – and that under consideration of highest quality standards –goes without saying. The RPP 3000 Plus perfectly fulfilled all these expectations.