Within the framework of the ambitious CIRCUROAD program, companies, governments and knowledge institutions are working together on a sustainable future for the Dutch infrastructure. Led by Rijkswaterstaat, which has been hosting since the end of 2023, the program focuses on developing circular asphalt. This innovative asphalt is characterized by the replacement of the fossil binder bitumen by renewable raw materials, which should make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
CIRCUROAD fits within the Transition Path Road Paving, which is part of the broader national objective to realize a climate-neutral and circular infrastructure by 2030 at the latest. This transition includes two essential pillars: the large-scale recycling of existing asphalt and the development of a sustainable alternative to bitumen. The replacement of bitumen is crucial because this traditional asphalt binder currently still largely comes from petroleum, a fossil source.
CIRCUROAD aims to make at least 2030 percent of newly used bitumen biobased by 30. This means that this binder is no longer based on fossil resources, but on sustainable, renewable materials. A phase-in model has been set up to steadily increase this percentage, with the ambition to use completely fossil-free bitumen in Dutch road construction by 2050.
The biobased binder must meet strict validation criteria before it can be used on a large scale. An extensive validation program has been set up for this purpose, in which the binder is tested for durability, performance and compatibility with existing infrastructure. This program will demonstrate that biobased bitumen is not only fossil-free, but also meets the technical requirements of road paving.
In addition to the development of biobased bitumen, CIRCUROAD is also committed to high-quality asphalt recycling. The emphasis is on the reuse of existing materials, which results in a significant reduction in raw material consumption. According to initial calculations, the combination of recycling and biobased bitumen can lead to a CO2 reduction of up to 75%, which is a significant step towards sustainable infrastructure. This is of great importance to the Netherlands, which has no less than 136.000 kilometers of roads that largely consist of asphalt.
Within the CIRCUROAD consortium, various pilot projects are taking place in which various innovative asphalt mixtures are tested in practice. The first results are promising: not only does it appear possible to drastically reduce CO2 emissions, but the new asphalt mixtures also show excellent performance in terms of sustainability and traffic safety.
Day of Circularity
On the Day of Circularity, on Thursday 10 October in Veenendaal, the knowledge session Practical experiences and start of the biobased asphalt pilot project will take place with Bert Jan Lommerts, technical manager CIRCUROAD. Sign up!
More information about this project: CIRCUROAD
