Macadamite™ is a road construction material and soil hardening agent that binds the soil, creating a strong trafficable surface with little cost.
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Macadamite™ is an emulsion which forms tough plastic bonds with sand or clay soils to provide an excellent firm, dust free, reduced slip, surface or sub-base.
When used as a sub-base stabilizer, mixed with the scarified or loosened soil to a suitable depth by spray application thus saturating the soil, be it sandy or clay soil, our compound will stabilize as well as harden and waterproof the soil to the depth that it is applied.
This process obviates the necessity for importation of gravel.
It is sprayed onto the prepared road to form a reasonably long-lasting hard and water-roof surface.
Our road construction material is not influenced by the type of soil it is mixed into or sprayed onto because it alters the plastic index of the aggregates.
The application rates are only about 10% of those of traditional materials so transport costs of the materials to site are dramatically reduced.
Water tankers or other spray equipment should be washed out after use to prevent nozzles and pumps becoming blocked once the plastic dries.
PROPERTIES
Our road construction material is safe to use and does not leach any solutes into ground water. At low dilutions (1 in 30) Macadamite can safely be sprayed on plants and spill on the skin is easily washed off with water before it dries.
A feature of Macadamite™ is that it can be compared with other products in standard civil engineering tests. At 0,5% on sand, strengths in excess of 1MPa are achieved using the unconfined core technique. Aggregates bonded with Macadamite™ remain dry.
Macadamite™ is an opaque water based emulsion, which, when mixed with soil forms strong aggregates by positioning itself between the granules to form tough, transparent plastic bonds.
Macadamite™ is suitable for almost all gravel roads, however roads with more clay / sand and less stones / pebbles are best for a smooth stable road surface.
The finished product can be made black for an asphalt appearance.
Use our road construction material as a load bearing sub-base for roads, loading zones, floors, paths, as well as walk ways.
Surface coats for roads, parking lots, tennis courts paths, and also walk ways, for improved wear, water resistance and dust suppression.
Embankment, slope and shoulder stabilization against water and wind erosion.
SURFACE TREATMENT
Shape and prepare the road removing any boulders and obstacles.
Mix approximately 12 parts of water to one part of Macadamite™.
Spray onto newly shaped surface at the rate of 0.25 litres Concentrate per square metre or 3 Lt. water concentrate mix per square metre.
Apply up to 6 times. (Total volume of concentrate emulsion 0,25 Lt.\M2)
Wait approximately 1 hour before trafficking.
FULL INCORPORATION
First shape the road and scarify the soil 150mm deep removing any boulders and obstacles.
Mix 1 part Macadamite™ with 20 parts water to treat 1M2 of road surface.
( 100L Macadamite : 2000L Water for 100M2 of road surface )
Saturate the newly loosened soil with the Macadamite mixture.
Plough the soil over again 150mm deep to ensure proper mixture of the emulsion with the soil.
Repeat this process until proper saturation and dosage is achieved.
Compact the saturated road surface.
Spray the newly made road with remainder of emulsion once dry. (About 1 hour)
DUST SUPPRESSION
On building sites, loading zones etc. mix between 1:20 and 1:100 with water and spray onto the surface in small increments to prevent emulsion runaway.
Apply 2 to 4 times per treatment.
Treat as regularly as necessary for optimal results.
COVERAGE
1M2 – 4M2 per litre depending on the treatment, soil type, and clay content.
Can be compared against standards in internationally accepted Civil Engineering tests.
Works in sand and clay soils.
Aggregates remain dry thus reducing hydration problems.
Application rates are approximately 90% less than those of conventional products.
Imparts water resistance, abrasion resistance, wind erosion resistance and strength to all types of soils.
It can withstand ponded water for at least one week, a huge breakthrough for the industry which amounts to a game changing solution for customers who heretofore whished only for a 4 hour test underwater which was found to be challenging on it`s own.
Core samples take weeks to months to show signs of degradation under permanent water.
Our road construction material is environmentally friendly and also easy to use.
“Using nanotechnology lowers road construction costs”
( Professor James Maina of the civil engineering department at the University of Pretoria ).
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Johannesburg – The solution for affordable road infrastructure development could lie in the use of nanotechnology, according to a paper presented at the 35th annual Southern African Transport Conference in Pretoria.
The cost of upgrading, maintaining and rehabilitating road infrastructure with limited funds makes it impossible for sub-Saharan Africa to become competitive in the world market, according to Professor Gerrit Jordaan of the University of Pretoria, a speaker at the conference.
The affordability of road infrastructure depends on the materials used, the environment in which the road will be built and the traffic that will be using the road, explained Professor James Maina of the department of civil engineering at the University of Pretoria.
Hauling materials to a construction site contributes hugely to costs, which planners try to minimize by getting materials closer to the site. But if there aren’t good quality materials near the site, another option is to modify poor quality materials for construction purposes. This is where nanotechnology comes in, he explained.
How to modify with nanotechnology
“Nanomaterial is really small; five nanometers are equivalent to 0.05mm,” explained Maina. The materials bind with the poor quality material which needs to be modified. It can then change the behavior of the material.
For example, if the material is clay soil, it has a high affinity to water so when it absorbs water it expands, and when it dries out it contracts. Nanotechnology can make the soil water repellent. “Essentially, nanotechnology changes the properties to work for the construction process,” he said.
These nanotechnology-based products have been used successfully in many parts of the world, including India, the USA and in the West African region.
Why road infrastructure is critical for economic growth
“We need to have roads to enable mass movement of people and goods,” said Maina. Well-maintained road infrastructure ensures optimal speed of movement, opening up economic opportunities for people. Moving goods safely is also important as damaged goods translate into economic cost, he explained.
“For a country to be competitive globally, we need to reduce costs as much as possible. We need well maintained and well planned road infrastructure,” Maina said.
Some of the challenges to road infrastructure development in the Southern African Development Community region are linked to skills shortages as well as the harmonization of policies and procedures and standards. “From one country to another, the methods, procedures and protocols are not the same. Harmonization at a policy level will help.
“If we can work with each other to improve skills levels and harmonize standards and processes, this will lead to economic opportunities and growth,” he said.
ABOUT US
Cosmo-Dec Everlasting Coatings originated in 1991, with a single product – Therma-Masta™.
Knowledge gained from manufacturing this complex and unique product allowed us to formulate new and innovative products such as Fire-Guard™, Aqua-Mite™, Aqua-Therm™, Clean-Air, etc. for specialty applications.
To-day, 3 decades on we manufacture more than 80 different types of construction chemicals out of our factory in Pretoria, Gauteng.
