While scrap heaps containing millions of wasted tyres might not seem like a hazard to anyone, they actually can cause severe damage to the environment. Such was the case in 1999 when a lightning storm ignited tyres in a Californian tyre recycling facility. The “Westly Tyre Fire” created an enormous fire and brought to attention the dangers of rubber scrap heaps, and as such, efforts were placed to find a use for scrap tyres.

Today, many companies have focused on putting old rubber tyres to use, one of the most prominent being recycling them for road surfacing. whereby rubber is combined with pavement materials to create the roads we know today. While not all roads do this, a significant proportion does.

That being said, let’s talk more about surface trends of 2021 and beyond to see what we can expect from the use of surfaces and rubber:

Surface Trends Beyond 2021

Many roads today are made of what is known as asphalt concrete. This type of material is made up of rocky aggregates and a black binder that acts as the glue to keep the road together. It is in these binders that utilizes a blend of complex hydrocarbons from petroleum that has a significant impact on the environment despite how little it is used. This doesn’t include the process of acquiring, transporting, and refining the binder, all of which emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. Even during the paving process, more greenhouse gases are produced as the binders need to be heated with a mix of aggregate. Unfortunately, such a binder doesn’t last too long, either. Over time, the binder stiffens, leading to cracks.

With that in mind, how does one go about fixing the problem of an environmentally harmful binder that quickly oxidizes and causes the road to crack? This is where tyres come in.

Tyres are made out of synthetic and natural rubbers which are heated up with various auxiliary compounds to create a cross-linked structure. This composition is what makes the tyres so hardy, and that’s why they last so long in landfills. Fortunately, though, they do not have to stay there. Upon discovering ways to turn tyres into crumb rubber, the addition of such rubber into asphalt binders has improved the surface’s performance significantly. However, there is one drawback here. The drawback of mixing rubber with asphalt is that the temperatures needed to make the mixture viscous enough to work with, need to be much higher. Fortunately, warm mix technologies that utilize foam water have allowed such temperatures to drop by a whopping 40 Celcius, leading to less energy spent and, as a result, much less greenhouse gas produced. That said, further research is progressing to create cold mixtures, but they’re still used as patching material rather than all-out road solutions because their performance isn’t up there.

Conclusion

Apart from mixing crumb rubber with binders to improve the performance and environmental-friendliness of roads, many other experimental trends are being generated to take it much further. One idea is to use Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), using old roads to build new ones. However, while many of these implementations are still in their infancy, it is good to see companies looking for new materials.

Seeing how manufacturers are working hard to find more environmentally-friendly solutions that do not sacrifice performance, one can assume that the world is only thanking us in our attempt to live greener. With that in mind, we believe that the future trends will revolve around being environmentally friendly, and these apply to roads and more. KEE Surfacing has been using both crumb rubber and RAP over many years and is proud to lead the way for WA’s roads to be built using more environmentally friendly materials. With KEE Asphalt, KEE Profiling, KEE Spray Seal and KEE Basecourse Paving divisions, KEE Surfacing has you covered!

KEE Group is Australia’s civil and mining support service, offering services covering hire, surfacing, transport, and fuel. If you are looking for a construction hire that offers surfacing services that you can rely on, contact us today!

IMAGE © Katharyn Quinn 2021

Several developments are poised to reshape the oil sector. Within the next 20 years, demand is anticipated to peak and fall, resulting in industry convergence and a weakening of existing companies’ competitive advantage. The future oil sector will also see both energy and non-energy players, implying that oil firms are attempting to adjust their business methods to the new era.

The primary question is how the future ecosystem will look and if existing companies will use their core competencies to survive and even gain from these new challenges. What will the future oil corporations look like?

The Need To Reinvent the Industry

Despite average oil prices of more than $70 per barrel over the previous decade, free cash flow from core activities has been inadequate to keep shareholder returns above the cost of capital. Since the depths of the 2008 financial crisis, the leverage ratio of total debt to total liquidity has more than quadrupled, and the industry’s share of the S&P 500 has been slashed in half over the previous decade.

Despite these warning indications, oil and gas corporations continue to play a critical role in the energy future, notably in providing safe, cheap and sustainable energy to over a billion people. However, oil and gas will no longer be the uncontested energy leader, as alternative sources will soon be taking the lead.

Where the Industry Is Headed

The World Economic Forum’s Oil and Gas community is joining forces to investigate projects that encourage collaboration between oil and gas industry businesses and their ecosystem.

Among the key initiatives are:

1. Establishment of Global Networks and Hubs

The O&G industry will seek to establish a global hub network to allow offshore logistics, warehousing and surplus inventory pooling, resulting in $14 billion yearly savings from increased infrastructure usage and inventory reduction.

2. Standardisation of Equipment Specifications

Standardisation of equipment specifications for bulk material and packaging procurement is expected to result in a 10 per cent to 20 per cent reduction in capital expenditure on equipment and a 40 per cent reduction in schedule compression, among other significant benefits.

3. Diversification of Energy Sources

Some oil and gas firms will extend their focus to include hydrocarbons and electrons, emphasising end-user demands.

4. Streamlining of Data Sets and Digital Collaboration Platforms

This initiative aims to develop common standards for data architecture and APIs throughout the oil and gas sector, allowing data sharing and establishing the groundwork for digitalisation and data-driven decision making, which will accelerate the timelines of ground projects.

Conclusion

The oil and gas sector must confront several difficulties and prepare for an increasingly complicated and uncertain future. The capacity of the industry’s executives to detect essential signals and respond decisively is vital to the industry’s success.

One critical option is to explore collaborative projects on a local, regional and global scale. Working with peers in the industry and suppliers, as well as encouraging suppliers to join forces and collaborate in strict accordance with competition law and antitrust standards, the industry may eliminate waste, increase efficiency, cut breakeven costs and minimise its carbon footprint.

KEE Group is Australia’s most effective and unique civil and mining support service. We provide top-grade machinery for your projects at an affordable cost. If you’re looking to hire equipment in Perth, Albany and Port Hedland, don’t hesitate to contact us today.

IMAGE © Katharyn Quinn 2021

“Bell Equipment was the pioneer of all dump trucks. They started way before any other company, this is why Bell’s technology has advanced further than anyone else. This is why we choose Bell,” said our director Clayton Spiers.

With their bullet-proof design and good, strong engines, it is clear to see why other brands and OEM’s have tried to replicate the original build.

Bell Equipment was founded by Irvine and Eunice Bell. Irvine was an engineer during WW2 and after serving for five years, he returned home and started a farm machinery repair service on the North Coast of Natal, South Africa. He was a master engineer and inventor and he designed and built various prototypes to help the farming industry. His machines were built as solutions to overcome the difficult terrain presented on the arid farmland.

One example was Bell’s lightweight, high-flotation earthmoving dumper trailer that was built to cope with the soft sand conditions in the 1970’s.

Now, after half a decade of fine-tuning their engineering and technology, they have introduced the Bell B45.

“The Bell B45 dump truck (45t) can carry about 4 tonnes more than other dump trucks in their class, and therefore they give customers more payload on-site” said Clayton. “As the Bell dump trucks are designed and built for the harsh conditions of South Africa, they are also very well suited here in Australia”.

Bell Equipment’s Articulated Dump Trucks (ADT) are incredible machines. These trucks are equipped with high power-to-weight ratios and fuel-efficiency features, making them one of the best ADTs on the market. They’re also one of the safest trucks available. They offer optimal comfort levels along with excellent multifaceted performance. The ADTs come in several different models, ensuring a perfect match for every need.

Here’s our guide to the different Bell ADT models and how to decide which is the right one for you:

Bell Dump E-Series Truck Models

The E-Series has been fitted with a Mercedes Benz 390kW/2 460Nm inline six-cylinder engine.
KEE Group has the following two models ready for hire:

B40E

The B40E elevates functionality to a whole new level of industry standards. This truck is equipped with enhancements that focus on improving processes that were at the top of the customer’s request list. It also offers the maximum level of automated machine protection available on the market.

Gross Vehicle Weight: 70,787 Kg
Engine Net Power: 359 kW
Rated Payload: 39,000 Kg

B45E

This truck is one of the biggest machines available today. Packed with power and performance, it’s rife with World Class-leading features that provide production-boosting payloads. Its benefits include lower daily operating costs, higher-grade ride quality, and top-tier safety standards. With all its advantages, it’s a prime candidate to add in your roster of project equipment.

Gross Vehicle Weight: 72,877 Kg
Engine Net Power: 369kW
Rated Payload: 41,000 Kg

Choosing the Right ADT

With a wide range of supplier ADTs at your disposal, it’s crucial for your project to choose the right one. One of the aspects to consider is the body style. With three variants on the market, you’ll have to select the type that best fits your needs.

There’s the traditional rectangle, which offers the most room on the bed’s floor. This type is one of the more popular styles, as it provides strength and agility. The second is the half-round style, which handles impact better than the traditional rectangle. It also has a lighter total weight and a greater payload capacity. And thirdly, the semi-elliptical style. This type looks like a hybrid between the previous two. It has the floors of the traditional rectangle body but with the haul shape of the half-round type.

You’ll also want to consider steel or aluminium for body metal. Steel is better for carrying abrasive materials like asphalt and gravel, as it’s more protected than aluminium. However, the latter metal is lighter and is an excellent choice for transporting non-abrasive materials. It also offers a greater payload capacity, but on the other hand, it’s more costly to repair and to purchase.

Think about your engine needs. Dump truck engines usually range between 300 to 600 horsepower. Carefully examine the load weight you intend to carry and match it to the appropriate engine, to ensure you’re paying for the truck that fits your needs.

Transmission is one of the critical aspects to deliberate over when finding the right ADT truck. Manual transmissions supply a broad range of gear options in dump trucks, offering operators more maneuverability to match the required engine speed. Although automatic transmission isn’t as flexible, it causes less operator fatigue, which occurs during long-haul jobs. However, if you want the best of both worlds, you may want to opt for an integrated automated manual transmission. This transmission provides both a more pleasant operating experience and more efficient energy consumption.

Conclusion

There are numerous ADTs available for hire equipment today. Each truck is built and designed to fulfill specific customer needs, which will help you find the perfect match. With the many benefits available in each truck model, you’re guaranteed the highest quality dump truck hire for your project.

KEE Hire has the best-trained operators in the business, paired with top-of-the-range equipment and the most reliable field support available. With our fleet of versatile heavy plant machinery available for rent, you have a choice of wet hire or dry hire. Find your perfect plant hire in Perth. Contact us today to see how we can help you with your project.

Photo Credit: Katharyn Quinn Copyright 2021