Circular bitumen for the infra and construction industry

Around the world, bitumen is used as an indispensable component in the realization of asphalt roads, dikes and roofing materials, among others. However, there is one problem: the valuable raw material is becoming increasingly scarce. It is therefore crucial that it be handled sparingly and preferably circularly. At Roof2Road in Vijfhuizen, they are fully convinced of this. "In the new Europe, raw materials and energy have become strategic assets," believes director Gerben Bijker. "An extra reason to use these key components in a circular way."

Within the Netherlands, bitumen is being used circularly. It is a development to which Roof2Road, producer of circular bitumen, is making a substantial contribution. "By recycling roofing materials, we provide a high-quality circular building material for asphalt," says Gerben. "Instead of burning them, valuable raw materials are thus preserved and made suitable for reuse. And that, of course, is good for our planet."

Educated choice

Sustainable asphalt produced with bitumen from Roof2Road is certified according to the CROW Asphalt Quality Handbook. As a result, every user chooses Roof2Road asphalt with good reason. "Currently, we already offer municipalities and provinces more than twenty types of asphalt mixtures with circular bitumen," Gerben continues. "It is even possible to replace all of the bitumens added. While retaining the same qualities. That happens with Circularpave, Dura Vermeer's 100% circular asphalt mixture, of which our circular bitumen is a major component. The product produces a CO2 reduction of 25% for the sub- and intermediate layers and some 60% for the top layers. This makes Circularpave a perfect building block for circular infrastructure. Moreover, it meets all classes of the standard RAW stipulations, up to and including the highway." 

Pure profit

Clients can choose to use the standard asphalt mixtures sustainably instead of in the regular way. "Much of the bitumen required can be used in a circular way," Gerben explains. "In a first step, for example, savings can be made on the bitumen refinery as early as 50%. Pure gain for the environment, since bitumen is the most important component within the MKI." Furthermore, it is also possible to produce special and high performance mixtures sustainably. These include asphalt for industrial and recycling sites, as well as EME (asphalt with increased stiffness), liquid-proof asphalt and asphalt for transport and logistics environments. "At Schiphol Airport, for example, there is Roof2Road asphalt over which the fire department's heavy crash tenders drive," Gerben concludes. "An application that, like our other solutions, has been intensively tested in practice."