Why modify asphalt and bitumen?

Road authorities throughout the world are now realizing that it is very good business to use modified asphalt in new road projects. It simply saves a lot of money on the medium and long term because the roads are less exposed to rutting and cracking. This reduces maintenance, which is not only a financial problem but also a traffic problem as roads have to be partly closed during the work.

Asphalt and bitumen modification is therefore on the increase everywhere. In a country like Germany with a large consumption of bitumen, more than 25% of all bitumen for road construction is now modified, figures for other countries can be found in the statistics from the European Asphalt Pavement Organization which can be downloaded in the download centre to the right.

By far the most common way of modifying bitumen in modern road construction is using the virgin material SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene). It was therefore a large technological breakthrough when Genan launched Road+ as a third generation asphalt and bitumen modifier based on rubber powder from scrap tyres. Not only was performance in all relevant property categories on an equal footing or superior to SBS. Road+ was also creating a huge market for rubber powder from scrap tyres, creating an environmental solution which makes incineration of scrap tyres superfluous saving greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel. More about the environmental aspects can be read here.