(29/07/2015)  The project, which is currently under way, seeks to extend the use of an environmentally sustainable solution based on the recovery of this industrial waste and, at the same time, to achieve a qualitative improvement over tracks constructed using conventional methods.

Its application is expected to reduce the quantity of natural aggregates used for this type of construction and the volume of black slag sent to landfills, as well as reducing costs and improving the mechanical behaviour of the track.

Research carried out in previous R&D projects, such as Asicap (steel aggregates in sub-ballast and subgrade layers of railway tracks), also led by Comsa, showed that recycled aggregates have better mechanical properties than conventional aggregates, particularly in terms of durability and resistance to wear.

Within the next few months, the Gain project consortium will carry out a pilot test involving the use of black slag for the renovation of a 100 metre stretch of Adif’s Castellbisbal–Mollet/Sant Fost line to evaluate its behaviour. It is envisaged that commercialisation of the Gain project results will commence at the end of 2016.