In Limoges, more reflective porcelain roads

Its particularity is to contain 30% porcelain aggregates, waste recovered from local companies and crushed.

"In the city centre, it is the largest porcelain construction site ever designed. It extends over 280 metres long and 6 metres wide," emphasises Stéphane Heyraud, director of roads at Limoges Métropole.

But the process is not new. Conceived in 2017 in the laboratory of the Colas company, it has made it possible in particular to give sparkling sparkles to the forecourt of the Beaublanc stadium, where the CSP, the emblematic basketball club of Limoges, plays.

Other forecourts, sidewalks and traffic lanes have also been built since then.

Used only in Limoges, this technology therefore presents an aesthetic but also ecological interest, beyond the reuse of waste.

"We realized that the albedo of such a path, that is to say its capacity to reflect light, (was) greater than that of a usual path," notes Mr. Heyraud.

Porcelain therefore allows for savings on lighting and therefore energy savings, according to him. A study is underway to more precisely quantify the impact of such a process, which also has the advantage of storing less heat.

"At first, we were afraid that there would not be good cohesion, that shards of porcelain would come out when vehicles passed by. We realized that this was not the case," he continues.

The only downside is that the people of Limoges will have to be patient, as the porcelain chips will only appear after a few months, particularly due to the traffic on the road.

However, rue Jean-Jaurès has become a pedestrian area thanks to a municipal decision. "There are still delivery vehicles that pass over it," says Stéphane Heyraud. "And the asphalt will become polished by being attacked by UV rays and precipitation."