Asphalt Day 2019 in the Netherlands
On 10 December 2019, 500 people involved with road building, particularly the application of asphalt pavements, attended the 12th Asfaltdag at the Flint congress center in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
Jointly organised by VBW (Vakgroep Bitumineuze Werken van Bouwend Nederland, the Bituminous Works Department of Bouwend Nederland) and Eurobitume Benelux, the event provided delegates with a wealth of information about the latest developments in mobility, road pavements and asphalt, and was chaired by experienced facilitator Nathan de Groot.
VBW Chairman Jan de Boer spoke first and mainly focused upon the “Asfaltkwaliteitsloket”, an information desk set up to provide validated product performance details regarding innovative asphalt mixtures which have already been proven to be effective in one or more locations.
Ron Peddemors (pictured above) from Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), the executive organisation of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, then outlined their vision for the future and sustainable road paving. The main ambition is to achieve 100% circularity and be carbon neutral in 2030. It is now time for action and RWS wants to start to facilitate activity to reach this target.
This was followed by an excellent panel discussion about the impact of innovation on the asphalt sector which used Mentimeter interactive presentation software for the first time. This facilitated a very high level of interaction between the audience and the panel members.
The morning program ended with an update on the Asphalt-Impuls program entitled ‘Where are we and where are we going?’, delivered by Asphalt-Impuls Steering Group Chairman and RWS Director Edwin Griffioen (pictured above on the left).
During the networking lunch that followed, many participants took the opportunity to explore the lively exhibition which was well populated with 50 stands where companies from the industry presented their latest developments and expertise.
After lunch there were two blocks. Within the first block, among other things, Laurens Smal (pictured above) highlighted the need to have, as soon as possible, the latest updated Eurobitume bitumen LCI report - because this tool is essential in the sustainability comparison between alternative solutions proposed by different asphalt producers.
Next, both Professor Sandra Erkens and Professor Andre Dorée strongly emphasised the need to continue to attract young people into the industry and the universities. Mentimeter was again used to interact with the audience to identify specific preferences.
Andre Dorée then spoke about progress within the ASPARi (Asphalt Paving Research and Innovation) project.
The final presentation was on a topic that interested everybody, the status of the political will to change the legal limitations to PAS Nox-emissions and PFAS content. Although it was the last presentation of the day, the conference auditorium was full.
Nathan de Groot concluded what had been an informative and interactive event, after which many of the attendees then took advantage of the opportunity to discuss what they had heard and seen with fellow delegates, speakers and exhibitors at the post-event reception.
The presentations can be downloaded from the Eurobitume website by clicking here.