The full potential of asphalt material could be realised thanks to a new processing method developed in Pennala, Finland.
A new excavator bucket can help turn cold-milled asphalt and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) into a valuable, sellable product.
The ALLU asphalt bucket, a hybrid screening solution, was designed to process asphalt material in a faster, cleaner, and more cost-effective way.
ALLU Finland Oy chief executive officer Peter Grönholm said that much of asphalt’s potential remains untapped due to the ineffectiveness of current methods.
“Globally, there’s a clear shift toward sustainable infrastructure in the construction business. Asphalt recycling plays a major role in this movement, and our new ALLU asphalt bucket empowers contractors to turn reclaimed and cold-milled asphalt into high-quality, reusable material directly on site,” he said.
“It’s a smarter, more profitable way to work, and we’re proud to help drive this transformation across the industry.”
The new attachment can handle crushing material, screening fines and separating oversized particles in a single pass. This is thanks to the bucket’s hybrid blade configuration, which combines screening and crushing blades. This design enables the processing of material, including cold-milled asphalt, directly on-site, eliminating the need for operators to access additional crushing equipment.
The nominal screen sizes range from 12mm to 25mm. So far, according to ALLU, the bucket can produce more than 95 per cent of the finished material according to target size, which reduces time spent on reprocessing material to suit the specification.
The ALLU bucket can be used on excavators ranging from 25 to 40 tonnes, as well as wheel loaders from 15 to 30 tonnes. It features a rugged design, including serrated cutting edges and a reinforced frame, suited to the requirements of asphalt processing.
“The hybrid blade setup is what makes this bucket so effective—it delivers just the right mix of crushing force and fine screening to process asphalt efficiently in a single step,” Grönholm said.
Proven success
ALLU has started introducing the ALLU asphalt bucket into key quarrying and aggregates markets with remarkable success.
Leicestershire-based MRD Plant has invested in an ALLU asphalt bucket, following impressive results with ALLU screening buckets in the past.
The ability to crush and screen material through a one-step process, reducing reliance on its mobile impact crusher and saving operational costs, stood out to the Leicestershire-based MRD Plant.
“At a time when efficiency, sustainability, and profitability are key, the ALLU asphalt bucket ticks all the boxes,” MRD Plant UK managing director Tom Chapman said
MRD Plant initially purchased a second-hand ALLU DS 3-23 screening bucket more than a year ago before investing in three new models for its machinery fleet in recent months.
One of the ALLU transformer buckets has been used to break up and screen fly ash, which can then be partly used as a cement substitute in the manufacture of concrete blocks. This has created a new sellable material for the company when previously, this material would have ended up in a landfill.
The ALLU DS 3-23 screening bucket helped the UK contractor on a range of small crushing and screening contracts. The investment in the Finnish-manufactured hydraulic attachment saved the cost associated with investing in an expensive mobile crusher.
The company introduced the brand-new ALLU DH 4-17 model to its operations earlier this year, enabling it to handle asphalt road material that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The ALLU DH-17 is one of the largest in the ALLU D-series range. It has many applications, including screening and separating materials ranging from different soil types, sand, demolition waste and more.
Chapman said the ALLU DH 4-17 has been a permanent presence on the company’s 35-tonne Hitachi Zaxis 350-7 excavator.
“It essentially does the same job for less than a top-of-the-range mobile crusher,” he said.
“Apart from the versatility of the ALLU screening buckets, I was also attracted to them because of their simplicity. They are easy to use and much easier to maintain compared to a standard mobile crusher. Plus, being fitted to an excavator or loading shovel, they enable us to access restricted sites where we might not be able to bring in a separate crusher unit.
“In many cases, an ALLU screening bucket is much more efficient, productive, and less expensive than transporting a mobile crushing plant to the work site. That’s something we began to realise when we invested in that second-hand model last year.
“Some of the contracts we secure now involve processing just a few hundred tonnes of material over a couple of days, and it would have been inefficient to set up a standard mobile crusher on-site.
“Had we done that, we would still have to use a loading shovel to feed the crusher. The fact that we can fit an ALLU screening bucket to the shovel means we are literally halving our fuel costs and using less labour on-site. As a result, we can pass those cost savings on to our clients, which they appreciate.”
Australian support
The ALLU Asphalt Bucket can be used for any asphalt processing requirements. This ranges from smaller material loads through to aggressive asphalt processing, including pre-crushed demolition asphalt or compacted cold-milled material.
The Finnish-manufactured innovation features a reliable design that is well-suited to mobile worksites. The ALLU Asphalt Bucket is scheduled for Australian release in the fourth quarter of 2025.
ALLU products are available throughout Australia through ALLU’s authorised dealer network. The Australian network can provide support for sales, maintenance and technical support. The ALLU’s authorised Australian dealers include:
QLD Rockbreakers (Queensland and Northern Territory)
Walkers Hammers (Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania)
Total Rockbreaking Solutions (Western Australia). •
For dealer contact details,
visit attachmentspecialists.com.au/allu
The post Unlock the potential of asphalt with ALLU appeared first on Quarry.