Eiffage Route, the road subsidiary of the Eiffage Group’s Infrastructures division, attaches strategic importance to respect for the environment.
At a time when the use of fossil fuels and fossil resources must be reduced, the R&D teams at Eiffage Route, which has its own studies and research centres in Ciry-Salsogne in the Aisne region and in Corbas near Lyon, have succeeded in substituting plant-based materials for bitumen and in regenerating recycled materials using plant-based binders that are not derived from oil.
They have developed several eco-responsible mixes. Biophalt® is one of these. It is a high-performance plant-based mix with a resistance that makes it suitable for all types of traffic, including heavy motorway. Carrying the Bio-sourced label, Biophalt® is a winner of the Routes & Rues 2019 call for innovation projects (CIRR) issued by IDRRIM and the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Solidarity (MTES).
Biophalt® is a warm asphalt mix with high-performance mechanical and environmental properties.
It is formulated using a new generation of plant-based binder derived from by-products of the French forestry industry.
While maintaining the performance of a conventional mix, Biophalt® is an optimum low-carbon mix thanks to a combination of several innovations:
– a high rate of recovery (≥ 30%) of aggregates planed from the existing surface, offering the same level of resistance and durability as surfaces made with a conventional mix,
– the use of a plant-based binder offering a high level of regeneration, as a 100% substitute for conventional bitumen binder (the use of bio-sourced materials does not compete with the food industry, the constituents of Biophalt® being by-products of the pine and paper industries),
– energy savings thanks to a lower production temperature: the mix is produced at a 20°C to 30°C lower temperature than conventional mixes.
Biophalt® is produced in a conventional asphalt plant using a warm, energy-efficient process. It has the same range of application as a conventional mix. It is formulated in the laboratory in compliance with the performance standards in force.
Biophalt® can be used as a base, as a binder or as a surface coating, with no limits in terms of traffic and for a range of granular sizes.
Biophalt® is 100% recyclable.
Formula
The Biophalt® formula and the manufacturing process are protected by a patent. The components are derived from the pine industry and in particular from pitch, a residue from the distillation of tall oil, which is not widely used in industry today.
Production and application
The production of Biophalt® binder uses a mixing process similar to that of polymer bitumen.
Biophalt® can be used as a classic binder without the need to adapt industrial equipment. The minimum coating and spreading temperatures are however slightly lower (130°C and 115°C respectively) Eiffage Route is carrying out the first Biophalt ® trials on a motorway surface – in this case, a section of the A40 motorway between Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire) and Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain).