Sustainability starts with quality

Bitumen is an important component of asphalt. The viscous and sticky substance acts as a binding agent and "glues" the crushed stone together into a firm and durable road pavement. In traditional refineries, bitumen is a by-product; at TotalEnergies' Brunsbüttel refinery, only bitumen is produced. The result: continuity, consistently high quality and a favorable EQI. That makes it very interesting for road construction.

TotalEnergies profiles itself as a multi-energy company. The company has been investing in sustainable and circular initiatives such as hydrogen, wind and solar energy for many years. But its existing fossil plants are also state-of-the-art. Specifically for bitumen, TotalEnergies has a unique proposition with its refinery in Brunsbüttel, Germany. "Bitumen are not a by-product here, but the main product. A substantially different starting point, and unique in the world," says Anton Kroon, manager bitumen at TotalEnergies. "The Crude Oil is transported from a source in the North Sea via a direct pipeline to our refinery. It makes for an enormously energy-efficient production process."

Crude Oil from North Sea

According to Kroon, the North Sea well still contains enough oil for several decades. "Because we always draw from the same well, the bitumen quality of five years ago will still be available ten years from now. Continuity and quality are also not always a given in these turbulent times. Looking at the market, we see a relocation of refineries to Asia. In recent years, quite a few refineries on our continent have closed or been converted to bio plants." While TotalEnergies has a unique proposition in Europe with Brunsbüttel, it is far from sitting still. "With our OneTech R&D division, we are working company-wide with about three thousand engineers to make our products more sustainable and circular," says Wouter de Jong, bitumen expert at TotalEnergies. "Bitumen also has a place in that. The advantage of this set-up is maximum synergy between all TotalEnergies' activities to promote sustainability."

ECO2 and RC technology

TotalEnergies is a major player in the bitumen field, with as many as four research centers in Europe. This often results in groundbreaking initiatives. A good example is the ECO2 technology for asphalt production at lower temperatures. "The product is ready-to-use. Asphalt plants can simply continue to produce in the same way they are used to," assures De Jong. "ECO2 has been used in the United Kingdom for years, and is ideally suited for the production of Warm Mix Asphalt." Another sustainable initiative is RC technology. "Bitumen in a road surface hardens over the years under the influence of the elements. When the service life ends, the road surface is milled and re-fired in the power plant. The bitumen then becomes softer again, but with a lower quality than fresh bitumen. With our RC technology, we can produce bitumen that compensates for the shortcomings of the bitumen in the recycled asphalt."

Long Life and Low Carbon

Another technology from TotalEnergies that promotes the durability of a road pavement is Long Life Bitumen. "It's a binder that slows down oxidation in bitumen, extending the life of the road," Kroon says. "In Friesland about a decade ago, we already laid a number of test sections that are extensively monitored. We now have a finished product that is being eagerly purchased." The first roads have also been constructed with the Low Carbon (LC) bitumen. De Jong: "We have always been careful about admixing biomaterial because of the high quality we strive for. With our LC bitumen, we are able to achieve a better MKI value without compromising on quality." 

TotalEnergies takes its responsibility and is firmly committed to sustainability and circularity. All mentioned technologies are available both in PEN bitumen, which comes directly from the refinery, and in modified bitumen.