Eurobitume, the European Bitumen Association, has published a new life cycle assessment (LCA) quantifying the environmental impacts associated with the production of polymer modified bitumen (PMB) in Europe.
Polymer-modified bitumen is a commonly used material in road construction, designed to improve pavement performance by increasing durability and resistance to deformation, especially under heavy traffic and varying temperatures.
The study, conducted by Sphera for Eurobitume, presents a life-cycle impact assessment of SBS-based PMB (SBS being is Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene Block Copolymer) produced in refineries representing Eurobitume members across Europe. Other types of polymers are excluded.
With a cradle-to-gate scope, the study 'seeks to provide environmental data for future products, supporting more consistent environmental comparisons based on a specified functional unit,' Eurobitume said.
The LCA addresses two average products representative of current practices in paving applications: a standard PMB (3.5% SBS) and a high-performance PMB (6% SBS). The results are presented in compliance with the standard EN 15804 and include the Global Warming Potential indicators.
'After the publication of our Life Cycle Assessment 4.0 for bitumen, stakeholders requested more information on polymer modified bitumen,' said Brice Delaporte, sustainability lead at Eurobitume.
'As the European voice of the bitumen industry, Eurobitume commissioned this study to address that knowledge gap and provide robust life cycle data on PMB to support informed discussions on sustainable road infrastructure.'
The report complements Eurobitume's Life Cycle Assessment 4.0 for Bitumen study and provides additional environmental data for a product that is increasingly used in European road construction.
The full report and executive summary are available for download here: https://eurobitume.eu/publications/
