Road construction in operation with workers paving a road with asphalt

Coal Tar Testing

Pre-1980s UK road surfacing materials have the potential to contain Coal Tar binder. It is an excellent waterproofing, flexible binder that used from Gas Works waste materials but was later found to be toxic. It was replaced by bituminous binders latterly, but the legacy of the material remains in our roads, parks, schools, municipal and private developments.

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This service is for anyone involved in excavation works where Asphalt Waste Containing Coal Tar (AWCCT) is present e.g. local authorities.

The planing of the macadam type material from road surfaces can be reused (e.g. as a type 3 material – SHW) if the material is coal tar free or is classified as a non-hazardous material. In whatever case, however,  the material needs understanding.

At Kiwa CMT we design and carry out intrusive investigations for road materials including preparation and logging of cores, layer separation, material testing and then subsequent assessment of the chemical data using a range of techniques including PAH double ratio plots and assessment to the Environment Agency WM3 classification.

Creating an investigation plan and identifying (or otherwise) the presence of coal tar can deliver significant time and cost savings to the contractor.

Kiwa CMT carry out this testing on local amenities for local authorities, large infrastructure projects and for the small developers up to large site contractors.

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