Construction World October 2017

ROADS & BRIDGES

New technology assures BITUMEN QUALITY FOR SA ROADS

SprayPave, a leading manufacturer and supplier of bitumen, modified binders and emulsions for road construction, has procured a multistage bitumen converter that changes bituminous products from one grade to another. This enables SprayPave to enhance the penetration grades of bitumen required to produce asphalt. The 20 tonne per hour multistage bitumen converter was acquired from Technix Industries in New Zealand, a company that has been in the bitumen continent that aims to resolve the shortage of high grade bitumen for asphalt production. SprayPave has acquired technology new to the African

business for over 100 years and is a global leader in bitumen technologies. The unit, located at SprayPave’s Cape Town plant, is the second to be commissioned worldwide after Fiji. “We can now achieve predictable and repeatable conversion of penetration grade bitumen available from South African refineries to grades that are both lower in penetration and higher in softening point than the feedstock bitumen,” says Eddie Jansen van Vuuren, general manager of SprayPave. SABS certification “Following several months of testing, we are delighted to have received SABS test results which show that 50/70 produced conforms to the SANS 4001-BT1 specification.” Bitumen is an essential component of asphalt as a binder. It is produced by

refineries as a by-product of crude oil, but can only be supplied in broad grade ranges that seldom meet asphalt design specifications. The multistage bitumen converter uses pressure, heat and air to convert bituminous refinery feedstocks into superior quality bitumen. The softness, penetration index and physical properties of the bitumen can be changed to meet exact design specifications. Jansen van Vuuren points out that this technology addresses current and future issues around bitumen supply in South Africa, particularly in regions such as the Western Cape where refineries are unable to provide suitable penetration grades of bitumen for road binders. The converter can modify 70/100 penetration grade bitumen to 50/70 or even 10/20, which is required for new high modulus asphalt designs.”

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD OCTOBER 2017