Evonik surfaces lay a path to sustainable education

Evonik has supplied a road surface coating to Istanbul Technical University (ITU), for its project to lay six kilometers of bike lanes.

ITU is one of the oldest and most respected technical universities in the world, founded in 1773 as an Ottoman Naval College, it now teaches technical courses to 40,000 students.

German specialist chemical company Evonik has used a ‘Degaroute’ based two-component spray road marking. In three days, all markings and symbols were applied and the bike lane was ready for use.

Serkan Akoğlu, responsible for Degaroute at Evonik, said: “We believed in the idea right away and decided to finance a kilometer of the bike network… Of all the possible systems that are available globally, the two-component spray marking is the most durable material.

It can be applied quickly and the road can be opened to traffic in minimal time. The product hardens within 20 minutes.”

To make the bike lane as safe as possible, a base layer with anti-skid aggregate was applied followed by a top coat.

In less than three days, the entire markings were applied and the work completed. A total of four tonnes of material treated approximately 2,600 square meters (27,986 ft.) of bike lanes.

The material is sustainable – though with systems used in the past, the wear on the paint was much more severe. It was necessary to remove the entire surface of the lane and then apply the coating all over again. “With the Evonik system, the whole process is much simpler”, added Akoğlu.

In addition to the new bike lanes, the university is planning to open a cycle shop on campus, selling bikes that are affordable to university staff and students. A bike workshop is also planned as well as a bike-rental scheme. The goal is to reduce the dominance of cars on campus – students can go quickly, safely and in an environmentally-friendly mode from one lecture to the next.