Shell Bitumen : Moving on to sustainable innovation

Every day, Shell sells about 12 000 T of bitumen to 1 600 clients in 28 countries. This volume can cover 450 kms of road every day , that means one kilometer every four minutes. The oil tanker recognized as well its responsibility to reduce the environmental impact.

Professor John Read, General Manager Technology, Shell Bitumen reiterates the strong involvement of the oil company in R & D, using a dedicated division Projects and Technologies, where no less than 10 000 researchers working throughout the world . For the bitumen part, the research center of Shell is located in Bangalore in India, linking with several technology centers in Houston, Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing, and the European Solutions Centre in Strasbourg.

This global organization is working together to improve the quality of road infrastructure and thus offers the specific products for each set of problems : deformation, resistance, noise reduction, safety and costs implementing . For example, Shell Cariphalte is a polymer modified bitumen which resists to a deformation while providing good flexibility at a low temperature. Particularly used on the busiest routes of Europe, Shell Cariphalte can be found on the surface of international airports like Heathrow and Gatwick in London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Dubai or it can be found as well on several Formula 1 circuits in Singapore, Malaysia and Hockenheim and, furthermore in Ferrari test at Fiorano, in Italy.

But Shell Bitumen is not only concerned of its products application but involved moreover in the recycling of asphalt. Shell Cariphalte RC launched over 16 years, is a polymer modified bitumen, mixed with aggregates recycled asphalt , is used for sub-base material, binder and wearing courses. As for Shell Bitufresh, additive reducing odour of asphalt, improves the work environment during handling and laying of asphalt. To reward this innovative approach, IRF (International Road Federation) awarded Shell last summer for the prize "Global Road Achievement" regarding the Bitufresh. Currently, Shell Bitumen obtains 49 patents assets.

The research on the environmental protection also reflected by the development of synthetic bitumen emulsions reducing nitrous oxide in the air by converting them into harmless nitrates which evaporate from the road surface or by a phosphorescent binder which absorbs light during the day and releases it at night. Finally, Shell Bitumen has developed an asphalt conductor which absorbs heat, which is then converted into electricity power to supply the network, as well as an active asphalt which attracts particles matter PM10 in air to the road surface .