Visit to asphalt mixing plant in Biberach

On Saturday 21 May 2022, 12 members and friends of the Unimog- und Schlepper-Freunde Biberach e.V. and the Unimog-Club-Gaggenau, Regionalgruppe Ortenau-Elsass met in Biberach-Prinzbach at the asphalt mixing plant of Ortenauer Baustoff & Recycling GmbH at the invitation of the chairman and regional leader Gerhard Große. The occasion was a tour of the plant by Managing Director Nicolas Knäble. This event was initiated by association member Wilhelm Schmieder "Winterbauer" from Prinzbach, who has worked for Knäble for over 40 years. -> PICTURE GALLERY BELOW

At 10.00 a.m. the participants took the lift to the top floor of the facility. The participants had to be free of giddiness because they stood on a grating platform at a height of 43 metres and only a railing separated them from the abyss. The view of the village and the Kinzig valley was of course magnificent and the participants were amazed. Knäble explained that the heating system for the plant, which runs on gas, was installed at this height. Although the plant is much more energy-efficient than its predecessor, the increased energy prices have a massive impact on the cost per cubic metre of asphalt produced.

The final part of the tour was the plant's control room, from where all processes are controlled and monitored. All operating parameters and measured values are permanently and automatically stored and forwarded to the authorities as part of a continuous transmission of measured values. In this way, the operator can prove and document compliance with the emission guide values at any time. Other interesting details are the high proportion of recycled material of 90% and more in the end product. In this way, resources are conserved and valuable raw materials are reused several times. It was also interesting to note that there are over 90 different mixing recipes for the asphalt delivered, as the authorities in different districts require different recipes for the different types of roads. Große thanked Knäble afterwards and also gave the feedback of the group: one could feel that the plant is Knäble 's great personal hobbyhorse and that he literally "burns for it".

The group then worked their way down the stairs floor by floor. Knäble explained the processes in the plant in great detail and in a well-founded manner. In particular, Knäble informed the group again and again about how he and his employees, based on their experience, had initiated significant developments and improvements in the plant themselves and had them realised by the manufacturer Benninghoven . "And we are far from finished," said Knäble during his presentation.

Images (c) Gerhard Große

Images (c) Angela Lux



Images (c) Jürgen Schneider

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