Bitumen has been used as a construction product for thousands of years. It is 100% re-useable and recycling of asphalt paving has increased significantly in recent years. In 2009, more than 52 million tonnes of asphalt were recycled in Europe. Quantities recycled directly back into road surfaces vary from country to country, but can be as high as 85%.
The heightened awareness of the importance of environmental protection and the possible impacts associated with products manufactured and consumed, has increased interest in the development of methods to better comprehend and compare the sustainability of products, on the basis of robust scientific data.
Eurobitume Life Cycle Inventory: Bitumen
Published in March 2011, this newly revised LCI provides data for the paving grade bitumens, polymer modified bitumen and bitumen emulsions, most widely used in Europe. This study has been carried out in accordance with European and ISO standards and covers bitumen from “cradle to gate”: from the oil well, through transport and manufacture, to the refinery gate.
View or download the LCI here
For 1st Edition (pre-26 July 2012) erratum slip, click here
The Life Cycle Inventory documents the work of the task force and provides an output summary in aggregated format. For LCI specialists Eurobitume also publishes the detailed output, based on ecoinvent standard flows.
The 1,300 flows are provided in Excel format and can be downloaded here