Roehsler Apron and Runway Cleaning, Paint Markings and Rubber Removal

Our company has specialised in ultra high-pressure water blasting treatments (bituminous surface) for almost 27 years. This includes apron and runway cleaning; paint marking removal on runways, taxiways, roads and motorways; and rubber removal on runways.

Runway slipperiness

Tyres of landing aircraft deposit rubber on the surface of runways. The reverted rubber deposits cause insufficient friction values and inadequate tyre contact, a condition generically known as runway slipperiness.

With increasing demand for air travel, the time for maintenance and runway cleaning is critical and precious. Our units allow time-efficient, environmentally friendly runway cleaning while damage to the surface is reduced to an evanescent minimum.

Rubber deposit removal

Two of the major concerns about common rubber deposit removal procedures on runways are:

• Damage to the runway surface
• Low effectiveness in removing rubber

Our 27 years of experience in the ultra-high pressure water blasting surface treatment sector has given us the opportunity to produce custom-made precision units, eliminating damage to grooving, paint markings and joint sealing. In order to ensure high environmental care and low water consumption, clean water without chemical additives is processed onto the surface.

Runway cleaning and maintenance

Traditional rubber removal techniques simply cannot compete with the 2,500bar (36,000psi) ultra high-pressure water blasting technology in terms of rubber removal effectiveness, speed and the quality of the surface left behind. Almost 100% of the paint and rubber in the designated area is removed, providing the best possible friction values and no measurable damage to surface structure.

Our services include:

• Rubber removal at up to 1,600m²/hr
• Removal of runway and apron markings
• Apron cleaning / ramp cleaning
• Surface cleaning
• Oil spill recovery
• Separation / sedimentation of waste from recovered liquid

Ultra high-pressure precision water jet systems

Our 400kW ultra high-pressure precision water jet systems, combined with an integrated extraction by suction system, operate at any pressure between 800bar and 2,500bar.

Dependant on the construction and condition of the runway, the right pressure is chosen in order to save the micro and macro texture of the surface. The significant advantage is gained by the combination of very little water (1L/jet/min) and ultra high-pressure.

Debris and dirty water resulting from the rubber removal operation are deposited into a tank integrated into the unit, with a separate tank for fresh water storage. Such arrangements allow maximum utilization of valuable time on the runway.

High-powered water blasting equipment

Our compact and high-powered units are self-contained and can easily be configured for various applications. No trailers or extra trucks are needed, facilitating extra mobility, manoeuvrability and set-up time performance.

Our water blasting equipment includes features such as:

• Applicable on all kinds of surfaces such as asphalt, anti-skid, petro-grip, concrete, grooved and non-grooved
• Completely self-contained
• Non-abrasive and no degrade of surface
• Low water and absolutely no chemicals used
• Working areas are vacated within two minutes
• Dry and waste-free
• An immediately-usable traffic area is left behind
• Friction test results improve greatly

Friction testing

On demand, our comprehensive services include friction testing before and after the process of rubber removal, to ensure outstanding quality and effectiveness of services, providing our valued customers with an overall cost-efficient bundle of services.

Road surface maintenance

In addition to the services we render to the airport industry, our comprehensive knowledge in the ultra high-pressure water blasting sector provides our clients with a variety of industrial cleaning solutions as well as road surface maintenance.