Extending Pavement Lifecycle

SBS POLYMERS

One strategy to increase circularity and decrease the use of resources is to expand the economic life of products. Polymer-modified bitumen has been used in asphalt pavement formulations for over 40 years. Our high-performing polymers modify bitumen in various pavement applications globally, such as roads, bridge decks, airports, and seaports. Its benefits, such as a smooth, comfortable, and safe surface, improved rutting resistance, and better durability, saves costs and reduces the need for road maintenance and related traffic disruption.

Although adding polymers increases the bitumen’s carbon footprint at the factory’s gate, studies show that bitumen modified with Kraton SBS polymers can increase the economic life of asphalt by 25%. As a result, this lowers the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of the asphalt by at least 10% compared to a road surface that uses conventional unmodified bitumen. Combined with using 50% reclaimed asphalt, Kraton SBS modified bitumen can reduce the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of the asphalt by about 23% without compromising the high-quality performance for daily road users.