Shell launch BitumenFresh in France

Company announces immediate availability of product formulated to reduce bitumen odour

SHELL have announced the immediate availability in France of Shell BitumenFresh containing the award-winning Shell Bitufresh, which has been specially formulated to reduce the odour of bitumen, to improve conditions for both workers and local residents.

Shell BitumenFresh will be available to Shell Bitumen customers at no additional cost from the company’s facilities in Nantes and Bayonne for a limited period ending 31 July 2016.

Shell Bitufresh is a bitumen additive that has been specially formulated to reduce the odour of bitumen, helping to improve working conditions for workers and to reduce any nuisance for neighbouring residents. Unlike other products that simply mask the odour of bitumen, Shell Bitufresh works by reacting with the source of the smell to neutralize the odour.

The product, which was the winner of the research category in the 2015 Global Road Achievement Awards (GRAA) by the International Road Federation (IRF), is specially formulated to: reduce bitumen odours for a period of at least two weeks; have no impact on bitumen performance; and work across all bitumen grades including polymer-modified bitumen and oxidized grades.

Quentin Lefrere, Shell Bitumen’s cluster business manager for France and Benelux, said: ‘Bitumen and asphalt operations face increasing public concern about odour emissions, especially for production facilities located in urban and populated areas, which can restrict operational hours, limit bitumen use and even require customers to modify or relocate their plants.

‘Shell BitumenFresh is a ready-to-use, pre-dosed product that means no changes are required to the asphalt process. As a result, customers and communities benefit from an effective odour-reducing bitumen.’