Circular Economy in Mexico City’s Urban Infrastructure
The Mexican capital, Ciudad de México, is advancing its circular economy in urban infrastructure with a key project: a new asphalt plant at Bordo de Xochiaca. This installation will process up to 350 tonnes per hour and recycle between 40% and 50% of asphalt in secondary roads, reinforcing cost reduction, emissions decrease, and pressure on natural resources.
Current Asphalt Production
Currently, the Asphalt Mixture Producer (an entity dependent on the Secretariat of Works and Services) operates with two plants, generating 85% of the asphalt required by the capital (1 million tonnes).
The main plant has a nominal capacity of 450 tonnes per hour, producing an average of 700,000 to 750,000 tonnes annually, according to Reyes Martínez Cordero, General Director of the Asphalt Mixture Producer, known as the Asphalt Plant.
Martínez Cordero explained that the Asphalt Mixture Producer is crucial for urban mobility and maintenance, drawing interest from other entities in the country considering similar plant installations.
Circular Economy in Asphalt
Mauricio Jessurun Solomou, President of the XL Board of Directors of the Mexican Civil Engineers College (CICM), highlighted that asphalt mixture production is undergoing a technical and environmental transformation.
Jessurun Solomou emphasized that using recovered materials from previously used pavements, known as RAP (Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement), is central to this practice. This approach integrates “a new productive cycle, reducing the extraction of natural aggregates, decreasing emissions associated with material transportation, and extending the value of utilized resources.”
The use of recovered pavements is a focal point in Ciudad de México’s urban plan. From 2018 to the present, the Asphalt Mixture Producer has produced 1.24 million tonnes of mixtures with RAP.
The goal is to utilize all recovered material and prevent its storage or disposal, considering an estimated volume greater than 10 million cubic meters of removed asphalt.
However, full utilization requires specific studies and tests since a higher RAP content increases the rigidity of mixtures. The city employs 10% to 20% RAP in mixtures and applies emergency patching programs and primary network maintenance programs using RAP.
The Bordo de Xochiaca project aims to solidify this urban sustainability vision not only with recycled asphalt but also with other recoverable materials like tire rubber.
“The intention is to place a tire shredder at Bordo, as there’s already an area designated for a circular economy park. There, construction debris, fresado, and now tire rubber are recycled,” Martínez Cordero added.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the new project in Ciudad de México? The new project involves a plant at Bordo de Xochiaca that will recycle up to 50% of asphalt from secondary roads, reducing costs, emissions, and resource pressure.
- Who operates the current asphalt plants in Ciudad de México? The Asphalt Mixture Producer, dependent on the Secretariat of Works and Services, operates two plants generating 85% of the capital’s asphalt needs.
- What is RAP (Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement)? RAP refers to recovered materials from previously used pavements, which are integrated into new asphalt mixtures.
- How does the circular economy apply to asphalt in Ciudad de México? The city aims to recycle asphalt and other materials like tire rubber, reducing natural resource extraction and associated emissions.
- What are the benefits of using RAP in asphalt mixtures? Using RAP decreases the need for natural aggregates, lowers transportation emissions, and extends resource value.
