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New road base to revolutionise industry |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 15 September 2005 |
A Landsborough man is at the forefront of the development of a new
product that looks set to revolutionise the way we build roads and
pathways. Ted Vicary is the sales manager for EcoTrax which won the
Viewers? Choice Award on ABC TV's New Inventors program on August 31.
The company, Cooee, which is based on the Sunshine Coast, has invented FT50, an additive that enables
| | Ted
Vicary with his wife Kate ... "We're saying EcoTrax will improve the
longevity of a traditional main road by three times - conservatively." |
bitumen emulsion to mix with cold water and create EcoTrax. Ecotrax, mixed with road base, increases the strength, binding and water resistance of the road. This significantly reduces pot-holing and corrugation and stops the road fom crumbling after rain. It is also non-toxic and made from natural ingredients. It can extend the life of a road by at least three times.
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve has used Cooee EcoTrax on its rainforest walkways. The Sunrock Quarry owned by Readymix at Beerburrum has also used EcoTrax. It has been tested by Main Roads and the Road Traffic Authority and it came through with flying colours. Councils and other organisations are expressing interest.
Caloundra City Council has asked Cooee to have a look at Roys Road. That is where a man died in a car accident recently after reportedly hitting a pothole. Council has asked Cooee to come up with a recommendation and quote for their pothole problem. Meanwhile, Maroochy Shire is using FT50 for repairs under its existing bitumen.
"Main Roads have done all the testing," Ted said. They've said to us the results are spectacular. They showed a 58 percent increase in the strength of the road base. The reduction in the permeability was 150 times, which is incredibly good.
"If anyone's building a road using our product you can reduce the amount of road base you need because it improves strength and durability. We're saying it will improve the longevity of a traditional main road by three times - conservatively." Ted said it was almost by accident that the company realised it was on to something big. Initially we had developed a range of timbertreatment products and we took it to Queensland University for testing and they said "How did you do this". "And we told them we used bitumen emulsion and they went "Oh, do you know you're the first company in the world to make bitumen emulsion soluble in cold water".
"So we whacked a patent on it and then we said well what can we do with it. We had discovered something but we didn't know what to do with it. Now we've evolved the product into something that can be used around the world. A guy was on the phone today from Timor.
This week we're in six different mines in central Queensland to try and sort out their dust and maintenance problems. Their challenge is they use water all the time for dust suppression and it's too expensive. By using our product we can drastically cut their costs.
They reckon if we can save them water and keep their fleet of 350 tonne vehicles running all year, we'll save them millions in lost production. We can give them 12 months before they have to re-apply FT50. Cooee's website is www.cooeeproducts.com.au.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 September 2006 )
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Range News 2005 - ON 
