Transforming trash into eco-asphalt and bidding farewell forever to waste dumps may now become a reality thanks to an Italian patent.
The procedure, for which the AMA waste disposal agency in Rome will receive its exclusive patent in October, enables the transformation of FOS, the part of waste broken down in a landfill, into Mineralized Biomass (MB) and its use for making roads or cycling paths.
The Rome municipal agency is now looking for areas suitable for production plants and aims to start producing MB in 2016.
The invention, once fully implemented, will reduce the need for landfills for the capital, which is currently using landfills in Lombardy, Piedmont and Emilia Romagna after closing the enormous Malagrotta site in October 2013.
The project is in collaboration with the Centre for the Development of Materials and is entering its final phase, with a prototype already developed and tested. The patent was deposited at the Ministry of Development in 2008 and granted in May 2011. The eco-asphalt aims to bring huge benefits both to the environment and to the economy. It is estimated the production of MB could save around 3-4 million euros by cutting the need for FOS to be transported to landfill sites. It will also allow roads, cycle paths and car parks to be re-laid at a much lower cost and in a way that causes less damage to the environment.
Eco-asphalt plants will be created as and when they are needed, and will work without chemical and thermal treatments.
Suitable locations in Lazio are currently being sought. Large silos could soon take the place of landfills, treating the 90,000 tons of FOS produced in the capital every year.
The invention is already proving popular with both the Ministry of Environment and Rome council. AMA's goal, once it receives its exclusive patent, is to export the project not only to the other big Italian cities but also abroad. The label "Made in Italy" this time bears the signature of its capital, Rome.
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