Shell launch Shell Bitumen CarbonSink
New bio-component binder keeps carbon locked into roads to create technical carbon sinks
SHELL have launched Shell Bitumen CarbonSink, a new bio-component binder that locks carbon within roads instead of releasing it back into the atmosphere.
The binder locks carbon into asphalt and bitumen, turning roads into technical ‘carbon sinks’. As the asphalt is recyclable, most of this carbon will not re-enter the atmosphere, even at the end of its life. High levels of asphalt recycling ensure that carbon is kept within a circular economy and stored within other applications.
The technical carbon sink created by Shell Bitumen CarbonSink reduces the carbon footprint of one tonne of bitumen by up to 250kg of CO2e and the carbon footprint of one tonne of asphalt by up to 13kg of CO2e. This means that up to six tonnes of CO2e can be locked in per kilometre of road.
‘This solution is a great example of how innovation can help decarbonize construction and improve circularity at the same time,’ said Raman Ojha, vice-president of Shell Construction and Road. ‘We want to be a partner for change within the construction sector, supporting our customers by providing them with decarbonization solutions as we work towards confronting construction’s carbon challenge, together.’
As well as removing and storing carbon, Shell Bitumen CarbonSink also helps construction companies to improve the sustainability of their operations by reducing the need for non-renewable resources in asphalt pavement construction.
Shell Bitumen CarbonSink, which has already been deployed in the UK by Aggregate Industries for their SuperLow-Carbon asphalt, is being launched in multiple markets to be used at scale across the global road network.
