In the drive towards sustainable infrastructure, the CIRCUIT Project is turning ambitious ideas into real-world solutions. One of its partners, the University of Cantabria, has teamed up with CEPSA to tackle a critical challenge in road construction: how to reuse old bitumen effectively while maintaining the high performance required for modern roads.
Their answer is advanced bitumen, a breakthrough material that restores the properties of aged bitumen, allowing it to be reused in asphalt mixtures. This innovation supports the Circular Economy by enabling the use of significant amounts of recycled materials in road construction without compromising durability or performance.
Testing the Limits of Innovation
To test the advanced bitumen, researchers created a dense asphalt mixture containing 50% recycled material and a void content of 5%. Laboratory tests showed promising results. In water sensitivity tests, the advanced bitumen performed slightly differently from conventional binders, with reduced stiffness suggesting it could better withstand fatigue conditions over time.
Rutting resistance, another critical factor, was also evaluated. The mixture, enhanced by recycled materials, met the demanding standards for high-traffic areas in Spain, demonstrating excellent resistance to deformation under heavy loads. Simulations of pavement sections confirmed that this new mixture could endure significantly more fatigue cycles, promising longer-lasting roads with less maintenance.
From the Lab to the Road
Building on these results, the University of Cantabria is now developing a mixture with 30% reclaimed asphalt for use in one of the Circuit’s project pilots in northern Spain. Before hitting the roads, the new material will be validated using a circular road simulator to ensure it meets real-world demands.
A Step Towards Greener Roads
This innovation is just one example of how the CIRCUIT Project is driving change in the road construction industry. By combining sustainability with cutting-edge research, the project is helping to pave the way, quite literally, for greener longer-lasting infrastructure.
Check out the video to learn more about this innovative work.
This work is part of Task 3.1 in Work Package 3: Innovative Technologies Validation within the CIRCUIT Project.
