(Alliance News) - Directa Plus PLC said on Friday that the company's sustainable tarmac will be installed at the Imola Circuit in Italy ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May, making it the first-ever environmentally-friendly tarmacked circuit.
The London-based producer and supplier of graphene nanoplatelets-based products partnered with Italian-based asphalt performance enhancing firm Iterchimica.
Iterchimica developed GiPave using graphene supplied by Directa Plus, as well as hard-to-recycle plastics like toys, fruit crates and old CD cases. Asphalt containing GiPave is also recyclable.
GiPave was installed on the access road paving to the paddocks at Imola Circuit, an area that experiences the highest volume and weight of vehicles and people during race events. The sustainable tarmac will increase the road's resistance and durability, with lower maintenance requirements reducing its environmental impact even further.
In total, Directa said that the installation of GiPave is predicted to save over 78,000 kilograms of bitumen, 1.6 million kilograms of aggregates, approximately 115 truck trips for transporting materials, more than 1.2 million kilowatt hours of energy, and 74,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent.
In the manufacturing of GiPave, 3,700 kilograms of selected hard recycled plastics have been repurposed.
Chief Executive Officer Giulio Cesareo said: "I am thrilled to see that the Imola Circuit is now the first in the world to implement an innovative, green asphalt solution incorporating our Graphene Plus, thanks to our partnership with Iterchimica.
"This project underlines the limitless applications of GiPave - from bridges and motorways to airports and now race tracks. The outstanding properties of Graphene Plus continue to pave the way for more sustainable infrastructure globally."
Directa Plus shares rose 4.4% to 20.36 pence each in London on Friday morning.
By Emily Parsons, Alliance News reporter
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Directa Plus (DCTA)