MOL completes new rubber bitumen plant in Hungary

Budapest – Hungarian energy and chemicals company MOL has completed the construction of a rubber bitumen plant at its Zala Site, in western Hungary. 

The $10-million (€8.5-million) facility, which was built in one year, can process 3 kilotonnes per year (ktpa) of scrap rubber per year, to produce 20ktpa – 96 tonnes per day – of rubber bitumen, MOL announced 19 Oct.

The Hungarian group said it will source the scrap rubber from half a million used tires, representing 8-10% of Hungarian domestic tire waste.

The rubber bitumen, according to MOL, will be used as raw materials for road construction, with 20 kilotonnes enough for building a new 2x1 lane 200km highway.

MOL opened a pilot plant for rubber bitumen with an annual capacity of 5ktpa at the Zala Site in 2012.

The new plant was constructed in response to increased demand, MOL said. 

"The 96 tonnes per day capacity is sufficient to meet the demand for bitumen for larger volumes of road construction works,” said Tibor Zsinkó, VP, MOL Hungary downstream.

In addition, he said, MOL will look for new business opportunities to license its patented "chemically stabilised rubber bitumen."

According to Zsinkó, over the last eight years, about 150km of road sections have been built or refurbished in Hungary using rubber bitumen.