MODIFICATION OF ASPHALT AND BITUMEN IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION
Throughout the world, both local and national authorities know that it is good business to use modified asphalt in new road projects. It is cost-efficient both medium- and long-term, because roads are less exposed to rutting and cracking. This reduces maintenance, which is not only a financial problem, but also a traffic-related problem, as roads must be partly closed during maintenance work.
The most common way to modify bitumen in modern road construction is to use the synthetic rubber SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene). SBS is made from scarce virgin resources and is thus not only costly from an economical point of view – but also environmentally. Rubber powder recovered from tyre rubber (GENAN FINE POWDER 0.2 – 0.8 mm) can be used as a bitumen modifier. This method has been used less and less over the years and has been replaced by GENAN ROAD+ PREMIXED, where rubber powder is premixed with Vestenamer® and then mixed with stone and bitumen (Dry Method). GENAN ROAD+ PREMIXED provides the asphalt with all the same properties as SBS and is therefore a more sustainable alternative.
