A car park in France has, for the first time, been laid with asphalt containing a biocomponent binder made by Shell, which locks carbon in roads instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.
Credit: Shell
Credit: Shell
Karp-Kneip Constructions led the project, where 20 tonnes of Shell's Bitumen CarbonSink was used in the construction of a car park at the Brumath Enrobés asphalt production facility in the town of Bas-Rhin, Alsace. The asphalt for this project was laid by the civil construction company, Trabet.
Shell Bitumen CarbonSink contains a new biocomponent binder that locks carbon into asphalt and bitumen, technically turning the road into a carbon sink.
The high level of asphalt recycling around the world should ensure the carbon remains locked in the binder, even when it is recycled and reused in the manufacture of new asphalts or other civil engineering applications.
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"The decarbonisation of the construction industry is a challenge that will require effort from each part of the value chain, and this project is a great example of that type of cross-sector collaboration," said Ana Alvernhe, General Manager for Europe, Shell Construction and Road.
"At Shell, we want to use our experience in the energy industry to deliver innovations that can support our customers’ net-zero ambitions – so it is fantastic to see Shell Bitumen CarbonSink used for the first time in France, helping to drive the decarbonisation of construction in another important market."
According to Shell, the technical carbon sink created by CarbonSink locks in up to 250kg of CO2 equivalent into each tonne of bitumen and by up to 13kg of CO2 equivalent in each tonne of asphalt. This means up to six tonnes of CO2 equivalent can be locked in per kilometre of road.
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